Wanna Help Cheese and Packers?

By Majikman

Cheese and Packers are looking for old Packer radio broadcasts, or any NFL team while we are on the subject. Getting stuff from the last few years doesn't seem to be hard thanks to NFL.com and Packers.com, but I can't seem to find audio from the 90's, 80's, or earlier. Does anyone out there know of any good sites or know anyone that has old radio broadcasts?

Thanks for your help.

I hate mondays

By MF

My schedule for this Sunday? Because the fans demanded it I present it now.

7:00 AM - Get up, throw on roughly 6 layers of shirts and head out for 18 with the old man and some friends.

8:00 AM - Tee off, wonder why I can't feel my hands.

12:00 PM - Finish the round and have a beer. Sudden panic! What am I doing at a golf course at noon on a Sunday? Must. Get. Home. Oh wait, the Pack plays on Monday night. The rest of the group is full of Vikings fans so they're clearly in no hurry to go watch their boys play. Have a second beer and ponder the great questions in life.

1:30 PM - Return home (I live a long way from the golf course) and take a nap. Maybe checking the scores on the Sunday Ticket to see how my FF team is doing.

2:30 PM - Mow the lawn, maybe do some raking. Replace that lighbulb that went out last week.

3:45 PM - Fold some laundry.

Have I bored you yet? That'll be my day. I hate monday night football. I like it just fine when other teams are playing but I hate it when the Packers are playing. This is no doubt in part because we have not been so good on MNF recently but mostly I just hate the change in the schedule. I also dislike Sunday nights and Thursday nights. Maybe it's just me but it doesn't add much. I realize the networks want to get that large NFL audience in primetime but c'mon, I just want to relax on a Sunday afternoon with my favorite team. Is that so much to ask?

You work all week, have some fun on Friday and Saturday and then sit at home on Sunday doing minor repairs and watching football. It's clearly the way God intended. You doubt that God dislikes MNF? Kornheiser, Theismann and an intro by the immortal Hank Williams Jr? That doesn't sound ungodly? I think I've made my point.

Tune in this weekend as I will have nothing better to do I will post a little breakdown of the season stats thus far. If you haven't bothered yet, take a look at FootballOutsiders.com (there's a link on the page) for some advanced statistical info. It'll make your head spin but it's about time we take a look at this stuff. Until then, be good people, and hey maybe you can get some stuff done around the house on Sunday too.

NFC Offensive Player of the Weak

By Packman

Weak being the Lion defense, but let's hand it to Favre. He had a great game, and he earned his 10th Offensive player of the Week award. You can read about that here.

Speaking of Favre, I found this video that shows Favre's first regular season apperance in a Packers uniform. It was the second game of the 1992 season against the Bucs. Favre didn't do much but get sacked, which is all that Majkowski was able to do. If only Majkowski had a better line in front of him, maybe he would have never got hurt....also, Santana Dotson makes a special appearance. This video is a must see!



Come back tomorrow for M.F. Packs awesome post.

Oh My God

By MF

Miller Lite and the NFL have joined up to present fans with a unique experience that may just destroy my good friend Majikman. If, that is, childlike glee can actually destroy a person.

In the Minneapolis Star Tribune they recently ran this story. Fans bid for the chance to watch the Vikings-Bears game with Chris Doleman and John Randle (both formerly of the Vikings) and Shaun Gayle (who apparently played for the Bears but never once made me think "wow, that Shaun Gayle is worth remembering.")

In a followup column the fans went into a little detail about what it was like to have two memorable Vikings and someone who they had never heard of at their home for the game. You can check it out here.

Now this is just for a piddly little Vikings game against the Bears. Imagine the excitement if at least one cool team was involved, say maybe your Green Bay Packers, as they meet up with the Vikings in week 10. The game will include Doleman and Randle again (apparently they're pretty much always available) and Leroy Butler and Don Majkowski of the Packers. I don't know how much Majikman would bid for a chance to sit down with the Real Majik Man but I'm guessing it's more than say, the entire amount of cash he has ever spent to clothe himself over his lifetime.

I'm intrigued because Leroy Butler is one of my all time favorite players. I can't imagine watching a football game and handing a Leinie's Red to Leroy. Just seeing him out of the corner of my eye rather than my wife wearing her Packer hat and flipping through a magazine would be jarring. But then you can talk to them to! Craziness I tells ya!

This doesn't even begin to mention the subtle ways of messing with the former Vikings. Accidentally spilling the guacamole on Randle? Stuffing the toilet so Doleman feels awkward about asking for the plunger? C'mon! Who wouldn't want to do that stuff?

I must say, this idea is sort of brilliant. Not in the Stephen Hawking sort of way that maybe only 3 people on the planet could understand. But in that way that makes you slap your head and wonder why you didn't think of it before. These guys are retired! They have nothing to do! The question isn't "why would they show up?" The question is "why haven't they stopped by my place already?" You think I wouldn't open my doors to Edgar Bennett or Santana Dotson and watch a game with 'em? I've got the beer, chips and pizza all set and ready fellas. We'll see you around, say, 11:30?

The Detroit Golden Mullet Awards

By Packman

Before we celebrate the Pack win, let's talk about the great Viking lose. I love when the Bears play the Vikings, it's like the best week ever. And yes, Sweetness, I was pulling for your boys to win. The Bears are kinda like the Lions to me. I want them to lose, but not like the Vikings. The Vikings are the real rivalry. The Lions and Bears should leave us alone and start their own rivalry.

So here are some pictures from the Viking game that I found amusing.



I think this Viking fan is making fun of the Bears, but look at this jackass. A typical Viking fan. Stupid.












Looking good Brad. How is he still a quarterback? Who's next, Scott Mitchell?

















Is this Jerry Burns, no way! It's the Vikings new coach. I don't care if he has ties to Wisconsin, just like Ryan Longwell who I have an autograph on a birthday card from when he was trying to make the team back in the 90's...he's dead to me. You too Sharper. Oh, and Javon Walker is dead to me too. Thanks for nothing Javon!










Okay, back to the Pack. Here are this weeks Golden Mullet Awards. Remember, 4 is the best.

Quarterbacks


Favre was the bomb. 3 touchdowns, no picks. He was truly Sweetness. Get it Sweetness.


Running Backs


Running game sucked. I dig that we kept trying, but come on. Let's swear to never give Amhan the ball in the end of the game again. Pinky swear with me now.


Receivers

Driver and Jennings were great. Driver didn't get 100 yards, so that cost me some points on my fantasy team. But did you see that block when Jennings scored. Yeah!


Defense


Sucked. Nuff said.



Coach

Win big, mamma's fallen angel! We won, good job Mike. He got them a win on the road, offense looked good, defense was a sad joke. You get three big Mike.


Special Teams


Not bad, not amazing. You get two.



Lions Fans

Great fans. No one sent nasty emails, very nice fans. Go Lions!




Now let's enjoy a few pics from the Pack win.

I feel our first win coming on...real soon

By MF

Ron Pitts and Terry Donahue will be announcing today's game. How soon will Donahue start in using "avoid" inappropriately? "He's got to work on his avoid." I don't get it, is this some general plan to make us all less intelligent? Let's start the countdown.

For some reason I am optimistic to the point of obnoxiousness about this game. I don't know if it's because the of what I saw in the loss to the Saints last week, the fact that everyone on the Lions is there because Matt Millen thought it would be a good idea, or general stupidity. I'm hoping it's not the last one there.

1st Quarter

14:10 - Paris Lenon starting at Linebacker. Okay now see this is a reason to feel optimistic that isn't based on my lack of intelligence.

13:54 - Jon Kitna starting for the Lions at present, and I suppose, for the foreseeable future. If Favre had retired I would have liked to see the Packers go after him as a potential backup/emergency plan if Rodgers failed to rise to the occasion. Kitna's not great by any stretch but he seems to fall under that category of lower tier starter/excellent backup that few teams have nowadays.

9:33 - For what I hope is the 10th of oh, roughly 8 million times, AJ Hawk shows a crazy burst of speed for a sweet tackle. We want to believe AJ, keep on doing that and we will. And yeah I totally just spoke for all Packer fans just now. It was a powerful moment.

8:30 - Ahman Green goes down after a 1 yard gain or so and is flopping around like his head is on fire and his ass is catching. Predictably, Ron Pitts and Terry Donahue make no mention of it.

7:00 - Greg Jennings (Certified Public Accountant) makes a great spin move on a depleted secondary and then just blows the doors off Dre Bly for a 75 yard touchdown. And if you think I was going to forget to mention Driver (mf pack's official Non Sexual Man Crush) with excellent downfield blocking then you are mistaken. GB 7 - DET 0.

6:22 - Brady Poppinga drills the TE for Detroit a little early for pass interference. But he was on the tv screen and actually near his man so I'm calling this a "win" for Brady.

4:15 - False start. Booooring. Why is it that whenever there's a false start, scramble for a fumble or whatever that the announcer feels the need to mention stuff like "Dre Bly says the Lions got it". Really? Is that news? Of course he's going to act like the other team failed in whatever endeavor they were going for. I understand the players getting fired up but why for the love of Lombardi would the announcers act like it has any merit?

3:50 - Shawn Bryson joins a long list of players already this year that have, at various moments, gotten Marquand Manuel to lose his jock on an easy TD. Marquand is becoming the "girl with a reputation" with how easy he gives it up. GB 7 - DET 7.

3:20 - Ahman is back in the game. No mention if he was hurt or what 10 minutes ago.

2:15 - Wow. Jon Ryan booms a 65 yard punt AND the Packers didn't have to automatically give up a couple 4th rounders to get it. Amazing! Remember kids, no matter what you think of Ted Thompson you at least have to acknowledge that Mike II treated draft picks like I do on Madden. Which is a video game with no real consequences. Just keep that in mind please.

2:05 - Manuel may not be great but he certainly knows what to do when a ball bounces into his lap. You take that ball and you score! That's what you do. Ahmad Carroll with a nice hit to jar the ball out and Marquand does the rest. GB 14 - DET 7.

1:27 - Terry Donahue "Kevin Jones is a tough down hill runner." I don't get it. Is anyone weak when they're running full speed at you? They're all kinda tough right?

:00 - Long TD to Roy Williams over the top. Our safeties are um, kinda not good. I don't know why the Motor City Kitties are bothering with anything other than long bombs to Roy or the ridiculously named Mike Furrey. We're going to either fall down or let them make a play at least 50% of the time. GB 14 - DET 14.

2nd Quarter

9:48 - And no, nothing of interest has happened in the past 5:12 if you're wondering. I took notes and still found nothing to mention except this little math equation... Running Game = Ass. But now Detroit has to waste a timeout due to the Packers going no huddle and catching them with their pants down.

8:10 - Again Detroit caught napping on the hurry up. I'm impressed so far with Mike III's playcalling. We can't run the ball at all but we're still keeping the defense on their heels.

7:50 - Rayner makes an easy FG. Yay. GB 17 - DET 14.

6:30 - Grenade! Everyone Down! Okay? Not a grenade? Just good blocking by the Kittie's O-line? Seriously Kampman, KGB and the two interior guys on the line all hit the turf at the same time.

4:40 - I really don't know why Detroit doesn't go deep every time. I like Al Harris a lot but he can be had deep. He didn't even jump for the ball. Was it because he knew the wideout was out of bounds? Or that it was Corey Bradford? I don't know. But then Detroit follows it up with a deep ball on the other side that Roy Williams just drops. Seriously, they could go to the Tecmo Bowl offense here and probably put up enough points to win.

1:45 - Ron Pitts "I've got me a new set of chains." Not since 1987 when my brother showed off his spiffy new gold necklaces have I heard that sentence. I kinda dig it.

:49 - Noah Herron probably reads the website here. I don't think that's a stretch at all. So he read it and saw that I thought he might be goofy enough to cheer for and had to make amends today. It's okay Noah. I hate you now. Thank you for fumbling on the Detroit 5 yard line.

3rd Quarter

6:45 - NSMC* gets an easy TD catch after Favre rolled out for approximately 12 minutes. You think there wasn't anything to note in the third quarter until 6:45 remained? Nope, that's how long Brett was looking for a receiver. GB 24 - DET 14.

6:04 - After a failed screen pass that Kevin Jones dropped and was then violently thrown on top of the ball by Nick Barnett Terry Donahue mentions "Jones wisely gets on dropped pass." Apparently "wisely" equals "violently thrown to the ground by #56." A few minutes later Kevin Jones "wisely" goes in untouched. GB 24 - DET 21.

2:10 - Ah camera work. If this were a bigger game there might be more angles to show whether Ahman fumbled the ball or if his knee was down. Since I love Ahman but trust him about as far as I can throw him I'm going to assume he fumbled but there's no angle to show it. There are benefits to being a lesser team.

1:25 - Wow, more camera suckage. On a reverse Driver comes around the corner and disappears. Okay, he didn't disappear, but the cameraman knows where his bread is buttered and follows Favre on a lead block RATHER THAN THE BALLCARRIER! I love Favre but uh, watching him throw a block when we don't know where the ball is?

4th Quarter

12:19 - Ahman Green scores on a simple screen pass. The O-line had formed a wall on the 1 yard line and escorted him in. Nice work O-line, nice work. GB 31 - DET 21

11:59 - So THAT'S what happens when Hawk actually gets to the qb. AJ gets his first professional sack by picking Kitna up, twirling him around like he was Stacy Keibler on Dancing with the Stars and then throwing him to the ground, which was decidedly not like Dancing with Stacy Keibler...regrettably.

6:20 - Nick Collins is a player that I like. I don't know if he'll be great or not but if he can somehow catch the freaking ball when it hits him in the hands he'll go a long way towards answering that question in the positive. Can he bend his fingers? Is it just a medical condition where they don't bend and that's why he failed to pick off Kitna's pass? What's the issue? Somewhere in here Detroit kicks a field goal. GB 31 - DET 24.

2:12 - On 3rd and 1 the Lions try a little funky run. Nick Collins and company reads it perfectly and sticks Jones for a loss. That was pretty.

1:54 - Corey Williams with a huge sack of Kitna on 4th down should end this one. Nice work big man.

:54 - Remember when I said I don't trust Ahman? This is why. You don't fumble with 54 seconds left when you're just trying to run out the clock. Suddenly the pizza I ate for lunch has become lodged in my throat. 100% awesome.

I'm impressed by Mike III here. They showed him briefly after the fumble and he didn't flinch, just said something to Al Harris and moved on. I didn't expect him to start crying or anything but it's nice to see the coach so unimpressed. It's possible he was just confused but I prefer to think he's just Pittsburgh Macho.

:00 - Kitna's heave to the end zone is knocked down. Suddenly I can digest food again. The Pack have a win. Favre with 3 tds and no picks. Jennings and Hawk proving themselves as capable starters. That was fun. Next week at Philly. And for some reason I'm feeling good about that one too. That's probably just the general stupidity talking though.


NSMC = Non Sexual Man Crush, Donald Driver

NFC North Infighting

By MF

It's nothing but head to head action this weekend in the NFC North. The Packers and Millen's Misfits square off while to the west the Vikings in the Humpty Dump try to fend off their inevitable decline against the Chicago Bears.

The Vikings, it should be noted, continue to make all the wrong kinds of news. At this point it's almost too easy to rip them but then, this is an organization doing it's damnedest to bring back cheesy mustaches and they must be stopped. Since we have little power we are forced to mocking their decisions on a website. The latest snafu, of course, is their impossibly ridiculous new theme song "Bring in the Horns".

The new song is a rap, which is sorta fantastic in it's own way, and it's pretty terrible. I don't hate rap by any means but the medium is best employed when trying to A) Get the ladies dancing or B) tell tales of the mean streets of well, wherever, with an air of authenticity. It is by it's very nature anti-establishment. You can make the same argument for rock but here's the thing. "Welcome to the Jungle" is authentic AND it rocks. You don't hear them playing soft rock like John Mayer in there. Any rap that isn't borne of the streets is inherently equivalent to soft rock and therefore is terrible. It's pretty easy once you do the math.

Anyway, this is a long way of getting to the point of the story. The song is terrible because it's soft rap. Rap made for 12 year olds. And it has a reference to Brad Childress in it. Which automatically puts a shelf life on it of, oh, about two years until they have to dub in "Kirk Ferentz". But really that's not the main issue. The absolute best part of "Bring in the Horns?" Poor enunciation. So a team that is best known for illicit sex boat parties now has a song that implores fans to "Bring in the Whores." I'm serious. I implore you, give it a listen.

Due to the absolute crap decision making going on in the Twin Cities right now I have to assume that the Bears win this game and win it big. Not quite 26 to Nuttin but more than a touchdown.

Meanwhile in Detroit we'll finally get to see what happens when one team sucks and the other blows on Sunday. I actually feel good about a Packers win here. This is mostly due to the fact that Matt Millen somehow, incredibly, draws a paycheck. And as an aside, does anyone driving a Ford automobile get worried now that he's still in the fold? I mean, William Clay Ford appointed him and has kept him around for years longer than he's deserved. What other terrible decisions are going on in the Motor City? Also, take some comfort in knowing that there is no way Ted Thompson would still be around if he flails about like this for a few more years. There are many benefits to being a Packer fan nowadays (particularly so if your other option is the Lions), but this one is at the top of the list.

It would be easy to bash the new regime with this 0-2 record. We could get disillusioned and start thinking that Favre trade talk is more than just idle blather by hacks in the media, yes I'm looking at you Michael Silver, but we won't. I'm officially checking him off the list of worthwhile writers. This is the sort of random speculation that fills column inches and tiny minds but does nothing to actually advance the conversation. And frankly, if writers in the traditional print media weren't so terrible at their jobs there wouldn't be a need for websites like this one. Or any of the great Packer sites in our links column.

Why am I not giving up? Let's face it, no matter what you think of Mike II the coach, Mike II the GM left a bunch of junk behind that had to be purged. So for the moment I'm holding out hope that this losing was inevitable. I do know that the salary cap is now under control after years of abuse. I do know that the team has a lot of young speed. And I also know that the QB may not be around to see them become big time players but he's under no obligation to finish out his career the way you or I see fit. It's up to him and the coaching staff. So I'm going to enjoy it. I'm hoping for a win but I'll take improvement.

Panic in Detroit

By Packman

This week we have everybody's favorite Detroit Lions. Poor Lions. They have no rivalry, they don't even have a lot of fans. But, they can still beat us. They have a 50/50 chance.

Back in the 90's, Favre and The Pack could never win in a dome. But they have done a little better now that's it's Ford Field, still a dome I know, but it doesn't have that nasty pillow roof like the Silverdome had. The Metrodome has it too, tell me why again the Vikings still play in that nasty stadium? No really, I love to hear that stuff.

So this will be a tough game for the Pack. I think their running game will have trouble, and the passing game seems to go up and down. Let's hope that our defense can rise to the challenge.

To get us ready for the game, here is really, really short clip of the great and only great Detroit Lion Barry Sanders. I took a trip in the way back machine to find it for you.





The picture is from the good folks at green-n-gold.com. Check out the picture, and check out their site.

See ya Sunday!

Brett Favre

By MF

With all of the varied commentary regarding everyone's (or not) favorite quarterback I thought I'd take a moment to explain the C&P official stance on the whole Favre retirement/legacy thing.

I've been very fortunate. I first became a Packer fan over the summer of 91. Still young enough to be a fan in the truest sense but old enough to understand that these were real people with real lives that I was watching on the field. I grew up in Minnesota and to that point I had only known indoor football of the mediocre variety. I remember going to see the Vikings in a playoff game against the LA Rams and wondering why everyone cared so much. I just didn't get it.

I took a trip with Lil Majikman and his folks to Green Bay. Saw the sights and went to Lambeau for part of training camp. We took a peak at the field and cheered the punters working on their coffin corners. It was a beautiful day and I was hooked.

I also was fortunate in that I didn't really know the team very well and as I was trying to learn who everyone on the team was Majkowksi went down in a heap. Majikman (the friend not the player) was obviously vexed. Very vexed. But for me it was an opportunity. Favre came in and lit it up and generally played like a chicken missing it's head. I had someone to latch onto and someone worth watching. I still feel that way today.

I write this because of all the annoying talk that gets thrown out about Favre thanks to 24 hour news channels and multiple resources online to review rather than just having your local paper to flip through. I love Favre. I hate Favre coverage. It's that simple. It's sort of the same thing as that bumper sticker imploring God to protect the person from His followers.

Favre isn't perfect, he never was, and that's what made him great. Even when he loses it's memorable and that's all I ask. Just don't be boring and average. Dare to dream. He's always done that.

As he's gotten older and his career is in decline (not over, just not peaking anymore) fans and commentators have turned on him a bit. I don't think he's changed. He's successfull because he always believes he can win. He's also made plenty of mistakes because of that belief. I don't know why we expect him to change.

And yet we have to deal with one of two accepted broadcasting/writing positions. Favre is either God's gift to us and must be worshipped accordingly (the Madden plan) or he he is past his prime and hurting the team (the Collinsworth plan). I find both to be equally irritating.

All of the preening of Madden and his ilk just turn normal fans away from Favre because no one likes to hear that much praise heaped on someone. It's awkward and mindless and, if anyone in TV/print had half a brain they'd knock it off. The Collinsworth plan basically just calls for the mocking of anyone who has had success and is now in decline. I'm sure Cris thinks he's showing his integrity but he's not, he's just reminding everyone that his ego is more important than the truth.

I don't know if this adds much to the conversation. I just think people should consider Favre for who he is and what he's done and NOT for how he's covered in the media. You separate those two elements and you're left with a colorful character who happens to be a hall of famer. I'll take it.

This Weeks Golden Mullet Awards

By Packman

The pictures above are from the Saints game that I went to last year with Cornell J and Packra, the She Packer. That game turned out to be a lot more fun. The points just kept on flowing...but let's talk about the Saints game from Sunday.

THE GOLDEN MULLET AWARDS

A weekly review of the Packers performance.

Based on the Majikman Scale, 4 is the best, 1 is the worst.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Quarterback

3 touchdowns good.
1 interception bad.
He played with more
fire than last week.

Receivers

They caught some touchdowns,
but 6 dropped passes. Is Driver
the only one who plays every
down?


Running Back

Ahman was not the man. 42 rushing
may be good enough for some teams,
but not us. Plus he fumbled.



Special Teams

Much better than last week,
still some problems. They
get two because at least they
didn't cost us points.


Defense

I wish I could give Kampman like
15 Golden Mullets, but everyone
else let me down. How does Carroll
still have a job?


Coach

Two Golden Mullets seems
a bit high, but McCarthy
is working out the kinks. I
like his play calling.


Ted Thompson

He got an Ex-Viking Ex-Con to play for
us, and I'm not impressed. We'll see how
Hawk and Jennings do this year to really
tell how many Mullets he deserves.

Packer Fans

Down 0-2 and
we're all still
bloggin' away.
Go Pack Go!


Bear Fans

I'm still getting emails from angry Bear fans. Didn't they win,
why are they so mad. Oh, maybe because they never had a
franchise quarterback or a decade of dominance like we did.

Those are this weeks Golden Mullet Awards. Next week I hope to hand out a lot more. Goodbye Saints, I'm looking forward to the Lions now, where I feel good about getting our first win.

Answers. Anybody Got 'em?

By MF

Week 2 - New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers

The questions this week are many. Is Favre washed up? Is Mike III alive on the sidelines? Can the O-line block anyone? And, most importantly, is this the worst team in the NFL? On with the game.

1st Quarter

13:40 – I was on the fence with the re-signing of Aaron Kampman. He’s a high motor guy (or so they say 18 times a game) and while he had a ton of tackles on the D-line I couldn’t remember any of them from last year. So coming into this season we here at C&P.com had some offseason meetings and made it a point of emphasis this year to keep track of the guy. A nice sack/strip of Brees and a recovery are memorable. This guy might be okay.

11:00 – Pretty little play and execution by Favre and Jennings on the TD pass. Nice to see some life in the boys. Also nice to see a well designed play that causes a natural “rub” on the defensive backs and springs Jennings for 6. GB 7 – NO 0

9:35 – KGB joins the sack/strip party of Brees. Nice pressure from Cullen Jenkins up the gut too. We haven’t had much of that around these parts and it’s nice to see a pocket collapse on the other side of the ball sometimes.

9:10 – Shovel pass on 3rd and long. It fails and sets up the FG attempt from Rayner. I’m not a huge fan of this playcall, seems pretty timid. Ah well at least we can finally see if Rayner can do something other than kick off. For what it’s worth the first couple rows of fans need to be leery during kickoffs right now, Rayner has just boomed it so far. Aaaand the kick is good. Nice to see that it looked so automatic, no jitters evident. I hate kicking by the way. GB 10 - NO 0

8:30 – Another pressure by Kampman. Is he this good?

8:25 – Great quote from our announcers today, Ron Pitts and the Godfather “You know you’re playing good offense when you can draw players offsides.” To this point the Saints have like 12 yards of offense and have two fumbles lost. That is the opposite of good.

With the Saints driving Nick Collins and Al Harris combine for a ridiculously entertaining pick. Looks like we kept the right Vanilli twin. Beautiful footwork right there.

2:50 – In what will be a running theme throughout the year Donald Driver takes a normal pass and breaks it for 48 yards. I immediately wish I had a daughter, and that daughter could grow up and marry Donald, and they could provide me with incredibly plucky grandchildren with tons of heart and winning smiles.

1:45 – Another timid playcall on 3rd down. We’re playing well but I’d like to see the team run some deeper routes or at least, y’know, not hope for 5 broken tackles to pick up a 1st down on occasion. GB 13 - NO 0

2nd Quarter

12:10 – AK held again. Why don’t we call him AK 47 or something? If he keeps performing like this he’s going to need a nickname. And yes I know there’s a pasty fella down in Utah with that nickname, but that’s the NBA and the NBA is unwatchable at this point so it doesn’t count. I mean, the NBA is becoming the NHL. That last sentence is not a compliment.

12:00 – Another sack for AK. I think I just saw the O-lineman Stinchcomb sign off the ownership of himself to Kampman. Yep, they just filed the paperwork with the Back Judge and everything. I wonder if that means Aaron now has to feed the guy or if it’s just a temporary ownership deal. Can he lease him for 3 hours or so?

11:20 – Wow. A screen pass on third and long for the Pack. Excellent. I never saw that coming.

10:40 – Another gem from the announcing crew, with Charles Woodson tackling Reggie Bush, “That’s Heisman on Heisman!” Somehow that sounds like a new show on ESPN or something.

5:00 – The answer to the question “Does the coaching staff trust their passing game?” A definite “no.” Ishy. Just plain ishy. Another dumpoff with no chance for a first down on 3rd and long.

1:20 – Sean Payton is calling a nice game here. Brees has had open RB’s most of the day and just hasn’t checked down or this could be uglier. Pretty playaction on 4th and 1 from midfield gets the Saints in scoring range.

:56 – I’m not saying Ahmad Carroll was burned on that pump n’ go for a TD by Brees and Henderson, but he definitely was seared. It’s okay Ahmad, it locks in your flavor! NO 14 - GB 13

3rd Quarter

13:00 – With a perfect change of angle DD blows the doors off Mckenzie on an end around. I regret being only 30 years old and not being able to provide the daughter for Donald as mentioned above.

10:30 – Bubba Franks catches the ball much like a deer gets shot during hunting season. He gets nailed with the ball, he stumbles around a bit and then he falls to the ground. Sadly he doesn’t have 6 points. I still love him.

8:10 – Donald makes a great catch around the 5 yard line and then gets body slammed. He laughs through it. I wonder if cloning could make my daughter grow more quickly so, say, in 5 years she’d be the equivalent of a 21 year old?

In a random comment the announcers are now giving Favre credit for making Donald Driver tough. Now DD may have said that Favre made him tough but c’mon people! The dude grew up in an impossibly horrible situation with his family. He was tough. This is one of those deals where they have to wrap everything into Favre and it drives me nuts.

6:30 – Another sack/strip by AK. I’m sure at this point he doesn’t just own Stinchcomb, he also got the tight end and running backs thrown in on the deal. He owns them all.

3:30 – Carney folk are at it again. Would it kill him if, before kicking a field goal, he had to wipe away the bourbon from his cheek or something? Maybe have cotton candy on his fingers? It’s not like he uses his hands anyway. C’mon! You’re a Carney, act like it! NO 20 – GB 13

4th Quarter

14:20 - Favre impales Fergie with the football for a TD. Actually lodging the ball into his chest is the only way you can be assured he’ll catch it. A Trainer is on the scene immediately to remove the ball without damaging Fergie's lungs and liver and stuff, no need to worry about the heart of course because it doesn't exist. Nice work all around. NO 20 – GB 20

11:50 – “Trickeration” used by Ron Pitts. What fresh new circle of hell is this that this word is part of my weekly listening pleasure?

8:20 – For the second time today Nick Collins loses his footing in pass defense. No bueno. He’s had a nice day covering Reggie Bush, at times looking like a spy on him almost, but this was fugly. NO 27 – GB 20

8:00 – Ahman immediately fumbles. Followed by the Deuce scoring in perfect backbreaker style. NO 34 – GB 20

This is one of those answers I wanted earlier. Is the team resilient? Tough? And if so did Favre make them tough? Let’s find out.

5:15 – Ron Pitts again “Packers are in all pass, all the time mode now” followed immediately by an Ahman 6 yard run. Does this ever not happen?

4:15 – Noah Herron catches a little flair from Favre and walks in for the TD. I’ve made it clear that I pretty much hate Herron but I gotta say, he looks so goofy that he’s growing on me. NO 34 - GB 27

4:05 – Hawk tracks down Bush for a 1 yard gain and looks impressive doing it. He’s been much more involved today it seems. I won’t know for sure until I watch the tape of course* but I’m feeling better about him. The kid is learning. Collins follows it up with another nice tackle of Bush to force the punt. Team Speed Kills.

2:00 – The game ends with Favre airmailing a throw. The whole series was disjointed though. Playcalling seemed defensive again. I’ve got concerns.

Well we’ve got some answers anyway. This team is not the worst in the league. Some of the young guys showed some improvement. The coaching staff went from woefully inept to slightly below average. Not a terrible game and not a terrible loss. I hate seeing the Packers lose at Lambeau but I’m no longer filled with dread. It’s not much but I’ll take it.

*I will not, of course, be watching any tape and/or rating players. I just kinda enjoy when coaches say that stuff.

Where are we going and why are we all in this handbasket?

By MF

So, this ought to be interesting...

Before getting to this weekend's games I thought I'd throw out a possibly crazy comparison to the KoRo signing. Cris Carter. Deeply troubled in Philly, cut from the team for his substance abuse, left to troll the deepest depths alone. Finding salvation in a crappy team and resurrecting himself and the team (I mean, as far as the Vikes go the NFC Championship game is their superbowl right?)

Now if you're asking me if I believe that Koren will turn himself into a Hall of Famer with the GBP the answer would be "no". But that little scenario is possible. There is a precedent.

The frustrating thing about this signing to most Packer fans is that the Vikings can act like Koren wasn't good enough for them. Nobody wants hand me downs. But I wonder if this signing is really Ted Thompson's waterloo as I've read on other sites. To pretend that the Packers are too well intentioned to ever employ a player that is less than saintly is ridiculous. And yet we hear about "Packer People" and infer that means "People of the Highest Quality". I think we're learning that Ted's definition might be skewed a bit more towards winning than the rest of us. I'm not defending the signing, I just think some of us are projecting our opinion of Ted a bit further than this decision allows.

The Game

Normally I'd mention how the last meeting between these two teams went but, other than a couple cheerleaders I think the entire team is brand spanking new and right out of the box. Gone are the Fighting Hasletts. In is Sean "Man, I could use a nap right now" Payton and some guys named Bush and Brees. "Bush and Breeze sounds kinda like a windy Australian Resort when you think about it.

There is only one question the Packers need to answer in this game. Say what you want about the defense, special teams and whatnot, the only thing that matters is the pass blocking of the offensive line. If they can't get their collective stuff together the Pack has no chance.

The defense gave up 19 points and held firm in the red zone. Say what you want but it wasn't a disaster. In a comment I'm sure I'll come to regret the Special Teams last week was the equivalent of a Virgin Bloody Mary. Which is just tomato juice and a floating pickle. This week we've added some Vodka and it might just make the thing worth drinking. Welcome to the team KoRo.

The Running Game was surprisingly solid. Part of that had to do with the Packers running when the Bears expected pass, but nonetheless I'll take 100 yards against a defense like that any day.

Passing Game Blocking. Passing Game Blocking. Passing Game Blocking. That's it. Make it happen fellas.

Oh My Gado and an Instant Replay

By Packman

As many of us already know, the Pack traded Gado yesterday for some Texan. In case you didn't hear, read all about it here. I sure hope that Ted knows what he's doing, seems like a very questionable trade. But I guess we'll find out soon enough.






Flashback time.

The year was 1989, Don Majkowski was the quarterback and we were playing the Bears at home. We needed a touchdown to win, and there was little time left on the clock. The Pack marched down near the Bears endzone. Majkowski went back to pass, rolled right and just as he was running out of time and real estate, he found Sterling Sharpe in the back of the endzone. The only problem was that official Jim Quirk threw a flag. The play would come back because the scrambling Majkowski had crossed the line of scrimmage. But wait a minute, this was the Packers' thrilling season and it was their time to buck all odds. After the play was reviewed, official Bill Parkinson overturned the ruling on the field. Majkowski never crossed the line, at least according to the officials (Bears fans still feel differently) and the Packers picked up a 14-13 win over the Bears -- the first in their previous nine attempts.

Here is a video showing that play.
And here is a website where the Bears always suck.

Queries From Query - Vonta Leach Edition

By MF

In keeping with our plan of only interviewing doomed running backs we now publish this interview with Vonta Leach by our correspondent in the field Jeff Query (Former "white lightning" WR for the Packers). This interview took place Sunday afternoon in the locker room after the loss to the Bears.


Jeff Query: Wow, rough game today huh?

Vonta Leach: Yep. We got whupped.

JQ: Ahman had over 100 yards though. That's got to feel good for a blocker like you.

VL: Not when you get whupped.

JQ: Not even just a little bit. You can say you did your job right?

VL: Nah man, 26-0? We didn't do our jobs.

JQ: Right. Overall that's pretty clear. I mean, people don't lose 26 to zero by trying their hardest and all that. I get that. I'm just saying you, did you do all you could do?

VL: What are you digging at?

JQ: You ever think that maybe they should build the offense around you? I mean, c'mon, you're THE Vonta Leach. You should be getting 15 touches a game.

VL: You serious? I'm a fullback man. I run like Oprah after a weekend bender at the Cheesecake Factory.

JQ: Don't sell yourself short.

VL: I have hands of stone. Literally. Hold my hand (they shake hands). See? I can barely even bend my fingers.

JQ: You do feel sort of like the Thing. You know from Marvel comic book's Fantastic Four series? The orange rock guy? That's how your hands feel. Is the rest of you like that? (reaching to touch Vonta's shoulders).

VL: Do not touch me. Nah the rest of me isn't like that. I'm just not a good receiver, man.

JQ: Well you shook my hand. Don't be angry at me for doing more research on the subject. If you're the Thing people would want to know. I still think you could be the focal point of the offense though.

VL: You know, maybe you're right. Maybe I am being underused. It's not like these other fellas are doing anything great right?

JQ: What did you just say? (yelling to the crowded locker room) Hey everyone! Vonta thinks he should be the focal point of the offense! He thinks you guys all suck! I have it here on tape!

VL: You son of a %@#$%&! He tricked me into saying that, I was telling him I was about the team. C'mon fellas!

Donald Driver: He tricked you? The dude lives in a cardboard box outside the stadium. Remember you saw him the other day and gave him a dollar for some McNuggets or something? You got tricked by him? I don't buy it.

William Henderson: I knew it. Vonta's not a team player. Something must be done. Something. Must. Be. Done.

From Press Release on Packers.com...

The Green Bay Packers Tuesday released fullback Vonta Leach. Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, made the announcement.

Wide receiver Koren Robinson, who agreed to terms yesterday, signed with Green Bay Tuesday.

Packer Game Tapes

By Majikman

I'm taking a day off from wishing death to the Bears, and I thought I would be even more reflective than usual. Yeah, I talk to coach Infante all the time, and sometimes I talk with Coach Rhodes...right now, I would take any of them over our current coach. Heck, I never asked Sherman to leave, but that's just me. Okay, here's the point of this post.

I found a great website that sells Packer game tapes in the DVD format that we all love. They have games from as far back as 1936 all the way up to today. Yeah, I'm talking classics like the Snow Bowl and the Instant replay game. So check out their site here, or feel free to visit our link section where it will be located as well. Game on.

Speaking of our hated Bears, Thursday The Packman will do a post on the Instant Replay Game, so you can look forward to that.

Well, that was the opposite of good.

By MF

game notes from the packers-bears game.

Quick question - what's with the NFL scheduling rivalry games in the first week? Everyone is so fired up for the regular season to begin that to try to add to it with a rivalry game just seems pointless. If the Packers were lined up against the Jets yesterday would you have been less interested? I'm guessing no.

Pregame - Our Announcing team is Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan, his new partner. I was ambivalent but after the awkward "welcome to the team" handshake they just did on-air I'm pretty geeked.

1st quarter, 12 minutes left - Marquand Manuel is caught peeking in the backfield and gets invited to a Rex Grossman pants party. He was beaten by 5 yards. For what it's worth Mark Roman would have been beaten by 7 yards. So it's an improvement.

1st quarter, 6 minutes left - I believe Tim Ryan has now uncorked "outphysical" and "no trickeration" in the past few minutes. It's nice to see he's using "outphysical" so early in his development, that usually takes a few years to nail down for most announcers. And "trickeration" is just fantastic. It's a whole new way of talking people! Get on board!

1st quarter, 5 minutes left - with the Bears marching again Nick "I Make No Big Plays" Barnett makes a big play, picking off Grossman in the end zone. Interestingly Aaron Kampman supplied the pressure to the QB and Barnett was one of, roughly, 9 Packers who had a shot at the ball. Good read Grossman! I also uncork my first "yeaaaaah!" of the season. Feels good, little rusty.

Is the Fox robot player dude really necessary at this point? They've been revising the robot player deal forever and I don't get it. Do we want football to be played by robots? Is this some stereotypically weak scientist's idea or something?

What is up with the Packers and their makeup kits? What are these things? I've not seen them before and I am vexed, deeply vexed. I prefer my football team to not wear Hello Kitty lipstick cases on their bellies. Who approved this?

1st Quarter, 1 minute left - for the umpteenth time (or third if you want to be accurate) a Tight End or Fullback catches a ball with Poppinga covering. Is he a step slow? All I remember about Poppinga from last year was that he actually hung with Mike Vick a couple times in the Atlanta game so how come he's getting destroyed by Desmond Clark?

2nd Quarter - Kampman with his first sack and second pressure of the game. Nice work. Stops the drive. Robbie Gould trots out for the field goal. Somehow I missed this last year but Robbie Gould is apparently 12 years old. Also, why is he wearing number 9? I realize McMahon wasn't worthy of having a retired number but still, everyone who looks at 9 on the Bears thinks of him. We need a new wing, not quite the ring of honor, but something to acknowledge that certain numbers are associated with certain players no matter what.

2nd Quarter, 13 minutes left - Did we go no huddle there for a play? Why just one? I won't lie, everyone seems to ratchet up the ol' heart rate when the no huddle is mentioned, including me. I don't know why. I have no idea why, but it's notable.

2nd Quarter, 10 minutes left - QB sneak on 4th and inches. I'm kinda bored with the playcalling here. I know it's just a couple of inches but c'mon Mike III! You're the underdog, your team has looked terrible and you're running the plays like someone from NFL HQ handed them down to you. Be the crazy guy! Have Jennings run a fly pattern, try some play action. Do something! Oh, and maybe don't rely on your 3 crappy o-linemen next time. Remember, the interior is inferior.

2nd Quarter, 9:30 left - KGB gets spun round like a record, right round with a massive hold. Flag comes out. Defensive holding on a player that didn't even show up on the tv replay. If this game was closer in score I'm not saying I'd be in Refsuckville but I'd definitely be headed in that direction.

Speaking of the refs what's up with the new unis? I don't get it. This just seems like something the NBA would do. You don't mess with the ref unis okay? This needs to go away tootsweet.

2nd Quarter, 7 minutes left - Hawk is split wide on a wide receiver or tight end or something. I can't tell but it's interesting that he drew that coverage. The play went the opposite direction and I'm wondering if that was a matchup the Bears wanted to exploit or if they just wanted to get Hawk away from the play?

2nd Quarter, 6:23 left - I hate Noah Herron with the red hot passion of 1000 suns. The fact that he fumbled just makes me want to add more suns to the equation.

2nd Quarter, 6 minutes left - In a show of solidarity to the Green Bay crappiness on offense Thomas Jones runs backwards 20 yards and then throws a wounded duck to Rex Grossman for a total loss of 4 yards. They've been stealing from our playbook evidently.

After another field goal by the Bears Sam Rosen is kind enough to remind me that Noah Herron AND Fergie are back for the kickoff. I am not amused.

The playcalling thus far has been loaded up on the run, which has been hit and miss. Is the over-reliance on the run a subtle sign that this isn't Favre's team anymore? Or does Mike III just believe in running even when he is down and out against a team that can defend everything he comes up with?

Jon Ryan's punts have been iffy but his pass to Herron for a 1st down was sort of nice in a "hey that wasn't totally incompetent" sort of way.

2nd Quarter, 1:20 left - Tim Ryan is lighting up the quote board, a Bears defender "knifed thru on a good get off". He wasn't blocked so yeah, I'd guess you'd call that a good get off.

3rd Quarter, 13 minutes left - Ahman looks....good? The O-line officially sucks on pass protection but Ahman has found some holes thus far.

3rd Quarter, 10:50 left - AJ Hawk bursts through the line on a blitz and almost sacks Rex Grossman and Rex Grossman's suddenly soggy pants. That was fast. Very, very fast. So far AJ has been a second late to the tackle throughout the day but if he can find a way to utilize that speed I feel good about his future.

3rd Quarter, 9 minutes left - Greg Jennings here? Check. Hands? Hands? Greg did you forget your hands? Go home and get them.

3rd Quarter, waning seconds - Tim Ryan has just raved on and on about the strength and conditioning coach of the Bears for the past, oh, 12 minutes. You can hardly tell it's a blowout.

4th Quarter - Is it Daniel or Danielle Manning? I'm not liking this whole Danielle thing.

4th Quarter, 14 minutes left - Packers employ rare punt defense of just attacking one half the field and hoping the returner doesn't notice. He noticed. Damn.
26-0.

4th Quarter, 13:45 left - I have a nonsexual mancrush on Donald Driver. Thank you for showing up Mr. Driver. Also Mr's Kampman and Green. Next time see if the rest of the fellas want to join you. I haven't looked at the stats but I think DD has 90% of the catches and 95% of the yards through the air today.

4th Quarter, 8 minutes left - Tim Ryan, I don't think you can be my announcer anymore, it's not you, I'm just in a different spot in my growth period right now. That's got to be the most bizarre way of saying the Packers are rebuilding while the Bears are not that I've come across.

The game finally ends. Favre has two picks but both came while we were out of it anyway so I'm not going to harp on it. I'm sure it'll be the lead in all the highlight shows though. Sigh.

After Further Review....

By Packman

Yep, I still can't stand the Bears. Ever since Lovie came to town, he has been nothing but annoying. Why is it the Bears act like it's a regular season game...whoops, it was. Ah shoot. Who cares. I still hate the Bears.









Let's see here, my comments on the game:

the Coach: Not impressed. But wait, I never

wanted a new one anyways.
the Offense: Ahman Green and Donald Driver showed up. That's all. Jennings, you broke my heart!
the Defense: Could have done worse...really, I think they could have.
the Special Teams: Could not have been worse...wait, I take that back. They did that one cool trick play for a first down. Good job boys.
the bar I watched the game at: Not bad. Full of Packer fans, two bear fans, a niner fan, and two jackass ram fans who must have been happy for winning a game. That must have felt weird to them.

Overall: Come on Pack, wake up! You can only lose three more games until I look foolish.

Enjoy the pictures of how I feel about all Bear fans and their jack-ass team...and city.

More Greg Jennings

By Majikman

I know The Packman gushed about Greg Jennings already, but I just had to compliment him. Since this the day before Jennings is released into the world for real, I have to get on board the Jennings bandwagon while there is still room. This time next week, forget it! Everyone will be on. Trust me now, Jennings will be better than the next Perry Kemp, he'll be the next...Antonio Chapman!

Here is the official announcement from The Coach, watch below.

Allowing an Optimist his day in the sun

By MF

Regrettably I am an optimistic fella by nature. This means, of course, that all my predictions and criticisms have to be met with a certain amount of skepticism. That skepticism sets me off and I become even more optimistic and generally by the end of the day I seem like I'm typing while holding Green and Gold pompoms and praying that my cheerleader skirt isn't too revealing. It's a burden.

I'm just throwing it out there because after several reviews and guesses and hopes and whatnots I realize that I think this team has a legit shot at winning 9 games. I know, I know, I can't believe me either. I've discussed this with myself,at great personal risk, and I'm still willing to say that this team may not be terrible. I have my reasons. I've even gone to the trouble of listing them below. I'm thoughtful like that.

1. The Defense. I don't know how good Woodson will be. I don't know if Hawk will be a great linebacker or if I'm just confused because he happens to look exactly like a linebacker should. I don't know if Pickett and the overachieving Kampman can do anything on the line. Even with all those questions I think the D has a chance to be something special. It's faster, the players have a much better collective resume and last year's D was solid. If they can somehow keep that solid effort going but add in some turnovers the Packers could have a shutdown defense for the first time since announcers were casually discussing Reggie White's humping maneuver on Sunday afternoons.

2. The Coaching Staff. I know. Trust me, I know. Here's the thing though, what we the fanbase fear is the unknown. We have little to go on. I'd rather have an unproven coach than a proven mediocrity. I'll take the risk. True you'd like to see a better set of career highlights than Mike III's (I'm no Engloscientist so I'm just gonna' assume you can add the apostrophe to a roman numberal like that, it's a whole new way of writing people) abomination of an offense in San Francisco last year. But I couldn't take another season of Mike II. Sherman had to go. A warm boot can manage the clock better than he could. Plus we all know how handy warm boots can be in Green Bay late in the year.

3. The Division. In every other city in the NFC North they are saying some variation of the following: "well jeez we get to play the packers/vikings/lions twice, and the bears are nothing special on offense". But why do we have to look up at these guys? The Bears have an excellent defense but I trust their offense about as much as I'd trust a young Sean Connery with my sister. Which is to say, not a whole lot. The Lions and Vikings are in the exact same boat (well okay, the Vikings may have some extra crewmembers on their boat) as we are. Inexperienced coaching staff, a weak division and all sorts of infighting.

The Lions are just a couple Mike Martz comments from having a rookie head coach go up in flames. Nice work again Matt Millen. You bring in an inexperienced coach that everyone collectively thought was a reach and then you hand him Martz as his O-Coordinator? Do you hate Marinelli? Mike Martz is the T.O. of coaches. He'll sacrifice a win for a pretty 25 yard slant. He's subversive and he works for an idiot GM and a rookie coach, the only question now is whether he's already poured gasoline in the locker room and is waiting to light the match or if he'll just firebomb the place in one fell swoop. Is this just part of Millen's grand scheme to show that he is indeed the worst GM in all of sports? Isiah Thomas needs to know.

The Vikings have a coach that has never coached. Andy Reid wouldn't let him call the plays in Philly. For what it's worth I will ALWAYS go with the coach (Mike III) that has actual experience in the job over someone who has only accrued experience watching someone else do his job. What's less impressive? Calling the plays for a terrible and extremely young team in San Fran* or not being allowed to do much at all for the best team in the NFC?

Chicago is the chalk thanks to that defense and, well, not much else. They can be had. Also, apropos of nothing, I wish to fistfight Lovie Smith. I know I'll probably lose that fight, but it'll be in that Cool Hand Luke way where I reveal my true character so it's all to the good.

4. The Schedule. Last place sched. Weak division. A young team that can and will get more fired up than some more experienced teams and therefore win some games they probably don't deserve to thanks to their naivety. I believe they say "dumb enough to win". Oh, and I still think Favre has what it takes. He's not what he once was but I mean, c'mon, the division is chock full of never done nothin's like Kitna (who I like but don't love) and Brad Johnson (and they say Favre is old?) and Rex and Griese down in Chicago. Seriously? When you have a QB controversy because of Griese you no longer have a controversy, you have a travesty.

So this is my justification for this overlong and underthought post. I see 9-7 in our future. I'll be back on Sunday with a live (or at least live thoughts posted later in the evening) blog of the game. Enjoy it people. This is the one weekend where we can dream a bit without having to support out theories.


* I realize most, if not all, residents of San Francisco hate it when outsiders call their town the following: San Fran, Frisco, Sanny Franny, The City by the Bay or whatever. That's why I will be doing it repeatedly.

Drunk Lions and Greg Jennings

By Packman

You gotta love those stupid Lions. I just found this on the Cheese and Packers wire:

"DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- A Detroit Lions assistant coach was arrested twice in the past two weeks -- once while police say he was driving nude and a week later on suspicion of drunken driving.

The ticket does not provide any other information about why Cullen allegedly was nude. The Lions said alcohol was involved.

'We are obviously very disappointed,' the statement said. 'These are very serious matters that will be handled sternly and appropriately by our organization."

Good job Lions. You're well on your way to being the Minnesota Vikings. Ahoy!

On The Pack side of the news, Cheese and Packers are all fired up for Gred Jennings to make his debut. Man, he's gonna be the bomb. I'm telling you right now, he's going to be the next Perry Kemp. Here's a highlight video from Rediknight at YouTube. Enjoy!

Roll Call

By MF

So we've got our 53 players. That's nice. I have no idea how good they'll be (which is a nice way of saying that I hope they don't suck). I have little information to suggest the coaching staff is just biding their time until they start collecting super bowl rings. I have even less information to suggest that this team will still be starting Favre by week 10. That last one is discomforting, I know, but inevitable too.

I must say I'm happy to see the team going with younger, cheaper options rather than keeping around sullied veterans with spotty track records. Sure I had to spend a few extra minutes updating my roster on Madden 07 and that was a pain but I'm still happy to finally say goodbye to Mr. Pooper and the gang. I've always been distrustful of anyone named "Rod" so losing Mr. Gardner is acceptable as well. Particularly since our WR corps is not exactly stocked. If you can't beat out Fergie (the overly cautious wideout, not the overly sexed up mynx from Black Eyed Peas. For further clarification, the lady version sings "My Humps" while the football-playing but still lady-esque version sings "My Drops".) you don't deserve to make the team.

I'm also having a difficult time caring that Kenny Peterson and Cory Rodgers are gone. Peterson because, well, it's hard to make less of an impression than he has. I'm just happy to see Rodgers gone because of the name thing. I don't know how many times I've read some headline this offseason and wondered just what the heck Aaron Rodgers was doing just to find out that it was our new draftee Cory instead. "Rodgers involved in gun incident." Aaron no! "Rodgers may not make the cut." Aaron what did you do? "Rodgers caught dry humping heffer." Aaron...well I saw this one coming actually.

The games start for real tomorrow night. Charlie Batch vs. Daunte Culpepper's tiny hands. I'm thrilled. I'll be back on Friday with some predictions for the division, some vague analysis and maybe even a short story period hosted by Rock Gullickson*.


*That last sentence sort of came apart at the end there. I wouldn't count on Rock showing up, unless of course the books are really heavy and his unique free weight built muscles are needed. But that seems unlikely.

Not A Good Week. The Worst Actually.

By Packman

Cheese and Packers has had a rough week, so let's just try to make it through this one with baby steps. Sadly, I don't have much to say today, but this video will speak for me.

As we know we lost to the Titans in a preseason game, which doen't matter, but here are some highlights from that game. I know...what highlights. But come on, that pass from Favre to Jennings was the one good thing that happened in that game, in a sea of lameness. Here it is, and enjoy.



And I saw this quote from Javon Walker.

------Denver Broncos wide receiver Javon Walker watched the Cincinnati Bengals trounce his former Packers team last week and was asked what he thought.

"Obviously, we have a chance to be a Super Bowl team," Walker told the Denver Post. "Obviously, they have a chance to win four games."

Walker, disgruntled in Green Bay, was traded in April to the Broncos for a second-round draft pick.

"It just made me happy to know I'm here and not dealing with that anymore," Walker said. "This is a winning organization, and I'm better off here." --------

And a big go to hell to Javon Walker who was never worthy of wearing #84, Sterling's number. Let's hope you fall short on your Super Bowl run, or better yet, demand more mo