Green Bay Packers 2011 Season Preview: The Super Bowl Title Defense Begins

I am a little late this year in getting out my Packers season preview, barely making it before the season starts. And the good thing about being late on this is we have the final 53 man roster out already. Although, that list could change before kickoff this Thursday.

For hard core Packer fans there is not much new here. I will just go through the roster, position by position and give my thoughts on where they have improved and where they have potential weaknesses.

Overall, the Packers are bringing back the same core of starters as last year's Super Bowl team. Except, they have their famous "guy lost to the IR in 2010" back. That list includes big-time potential players like Jermicheal Finley and Ryan Grant. Like most Championship teams, they lost a few guys to free agency. But the roster was not ransacked by other teams like it usually is. Still players like Cullen Jenkins (to the Eagles), Brandon Jackson (to the Browns) and Daryn Colledge (to the Cardinals) will be missed. I know, I know. I included Colledge in that list, in spite of all the Colledge bashing that has been going on lately about his toughness, was a solid plug in the O line.

It should be noted that the Packers managed to get back a couple of key guys in spite of them being free agents, most notably, James Jones and John Kuhn. Also a solid draft class (as always) added by Ted Thompson and his crew will try to contribute right away. Well, at least some of them. Also, let's not forget the guys that were added as undrafted free agents. Some of them might end up being valuable contributors, if not full time starters even.

The decision on the fringe guys to make the 53 man roster seems to be based on trying to keep the best "athletes" rather than players with most experience or past contributions. Which might lead to a lot of tough decisions, but is a overall smart way to go about it.

Let's go position-by-position:

The Hunt for Orange October: Bleak Outlook for the SF Giants

What a roller coaster ride this season has been for the defending World Series Champions. First couple months of the season, the SF Giants were Kings of winning close games. Their stellar pitching from last year (3.36 ERA in 2010), hard as it may be to believe has been even better this year (3.13 ERA till end of August 2011). That was followed by an average month of July and then an abysmal August; a month that had futility of historic proportions.

So, why the hiccup? Why are their playoff hopes as defending Champions hanging off a cliff entering the last month of the regular season? The short and easy answer: abysmally weak offense.

Digging a little deeper though, I think the reason for their downfall could be a mixture of three different (yet related) factors:

1. Injuries

Yes. Every team is affected by injuries some time or the other and it is lame, borderline hypocritical and totally unfair to other teams that also have injury issues.

But as the cliche goes, IT IS WHAT IT IS! Its no secret that the Giants offense has been too top heavy with Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez (and Pablo Sandoval this season) as the core, surrounded by streaky role players. If you lose two of the three most important guys from last year, it's definitely a deep hole to recover from. Not to mention that the other one has been in a season long "slump".

Feelin so fly like a Cheesehead

I love Packer fans......



Note: Also love how Favre makes a cameo at the 2:19 mark!

2011 NBA Finals Preview: Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavercicks

2011 NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat

For the first time in a while I am really intrigued by the NBA Finals this year. Maybe it has something to do with the fact the two teams in the Finals are not named the Boston Celtics or the LA Lakers? Maybe its because one of the teams is lead by a 7-ft German tagged up with a band of cast-offs from other teams? Maybe its because the other team is lead by, arguably, two of the best players in the league right now? Maybe its because of the drama and controversy surrounding how those two stars shattered decades of NBA superstar etiquette, sacrificing their individual legacies to try win championships (or maybe just to play with their BFFs... lets hope some day the truth will come out)?

The Story Lines

There is no shortage of story lines for this series. The biggest one has to be that this is a re-match of the 2006 NBA Finals. In that series, the Mavs, under Dirk Nowitzki, came in as the clear favorites having the second best record in the Western Conference. They won the first two games at home beating the underdog Miami Heat. To their and everyone's surprise, and with the alleged help of refs, the Heat came back to win the next 4 straight games to take the series in six games. Mark Cuban and Mavs fans have been bitter about this ever since. With their early exit against the Golden State Warriors in Round one the next year, their window to win a championship seemed closed. But little did we know that, the addition of retreads from other teams: Shawn Marrion and Tyson Chandler along with a now 38 year old Jason Kidd would put them back in the Finals. Turns out they also get a chance to avenge the injustice (in their minds) of the 2006 Finals against the Heat.

NFL Draft 2011: The Green Bay Packers Wish List

The 2011 NFL Draft is going to be exciting for Packer fans. Not because they are picking last. No wait, in a way it is. They are picking last because ....they are the reigning Super Bowl Champions!

I know its a futile exercise to try doing a NFL Mock Draft. The most advances scouts and insiders themselves will be lucky to get maybe eight picks right in the first round. That does not discourage me to give out my wish list as to how the Packers should draft this year.

Some Ground Rules first. I am assuming no draft day trades will be made by the Packers. I know...I know, we can almost guarantee that there will be draft day trades, but I'm just trying to keep this simple. Also, for each of the early round picks (till Round 3), I am going to provide 3 options, in order of priority (highest first, obviously). Also, to state the obvious, sometimes a really good player may slip down to the Packers (like Bulaga in the 2010 draft). I am not going to consider all such possibilities here.

Team Needs

The most glaring needs for the Packers are on the Offensive Line, both at Guard and Tackle. Most likely, they will not need a first year starter, unless there is an injury or the guy they pick is really that good. They also need some depth on the Defensive line. With Cullen Jenkins most likely gone, a serviceable DE will be great. Also, the search for a Clay Mathews clone at OLB will be on.

The Hike up Mount 'Super Bowl XLV'

Clay Mathews with MVP Aaron Rodgers and his much deserved Title Belt

"We’re just getting started."
                          -Mike McCarthy, (Jan 9th 2010) after the Eagles game in the Wild Card round

At that time, it felt like just another passing comment, that slipped past most people. Little did we know that he was leading this team through one of the most improbable, yet dominating Championship runs in the history of the sport.

Improbable because, the Packers had a barrage of injuries all season long, including a few big ones in the Super Bowl. In just the regular season, they had 16 players in Injured Reserve (meaning they were lost for the rest of the year); seven of them were starters. That's almost one-third of the teams starters lost during the regular season. Overcoming this type of adversity is borderline impossible. (Ask the Colts.)

Dominating because, they never trailed a game all year long; that's 18 games, by more than seven points. I repeat "NEVER TRAILED IN ANY GAME BY MORE THAN SEVEN POINTS". Let that thought sink into your head for a second. Now, if that does not impress you, I'm not sure what will.

Phew, I'm still trying to process the Packers win in Super Bowl XLV. Wait, did they just win the Super Bowl? Yes, THE GREEN BAY PACKERS JUST WON THE SUPER BOWL. Surreal.

Apart from the glory and sense of accomplishment that comes with the Super Bowl XLV win, it is the path this team took that will be cherished by fans the most.


The Journey begins

I already wrote about the journey this special Packers team had to take to get to the NFC Championship Game here.

In short, a strong start to the season was cut short by a slew of injuries, which included starters that were the center piece of the offensive schemes, including RB Ryan Grant and TE Jermicheal Finley. Even Aaron Rodgers missed a game and a half after he suffered his second concussion of the season. They went through a bumpy mid-season road with a few losses to sub-par teams like the Washington Redskins, the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions.

Super Bowl XLV, or die!

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) vs Green Bay Packers

Or can we call it the team of the '70s vs the team of the 60's? So much of history between these two franchises. While, the Cowboys are generally called America's team, a legit case can be made for either of these two teams to be called America's Team. (Here is the case made for the Packers by Gene Wojciechowski).


The Steelers might be the most successful franchise in the super bowl era: starting from the Chuck Noll, Terry Bradshaw days through Bill Cowher and now onto the Mike Tomlin era. The Packers are probably the most successful franchise ever, with the most NFL Championships (when including the pre-Super Bowl era). Their storied history dates back to the days of coach Curly Lambeau, through Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr; and then after a setback in the 70s and 80s, the Packers came back to NFL prominence with the Brett Favre era, which now (in)famously transformed into the Aaron Rodgers era.

And here is Rick Reilly talking about why people without a horse in this race should root for the Packers.

Packer Game Plan

The game is being played indoors at Cowboys Stadium (with the roof closed). Which means Aaron Rodgers will get to wear his favorite shoes. And, more importantly, the Packers offense can showcase its speed.  The one thing the vaunted Steelers defense might be susceptible to is when opposing teams spread things out.

Proof? Tom Brady and the Patriots did it in their meeting against the Steelers in this year's regular season. The Packers themselves did in Week 15 of the 2009 season against the Steelers. Its no gimme. But, being indoors in a controlled weather will be a perfect setting to try exploit that chink in the Steeler D. The big key here, that I keep stressing every week: The Packers WRs should hold on to balls thrown at them. A couple drops (due to lack of concentration that happens a lot to both Jennings and Jones) could cost them the game and title.

The (Soldier) Field of Dreams

I am a little late in doing this, but I wanted to write a post about my experience at the NFC Championship Bears-Packers Game. Hey, better late than never.

I was one of the lucky few that got to witness my beloved Packers take on their arch rival (and the oldest rivalry in pro football) the Chicago Bears in an NFC Championship Game. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was in 1941. That's how rare this occasion was. Truly, a once in a generation occurrence. Thanks my bro, Chander for giving me this opportunity, even though I was/am a Packer fan. Thanks man!

Packers - Bears NFC Championship Game kick off

On game day Sunday (January 23rd 2011), the two of us were getting ourselves prepared for the game. It was going to be a cold day. And when I say cold, I mean cold! Well below freezing point. And yeah, the wind chill factor in Chicago was going to make it exponentially worse. Chander, who grew up there and who has been going to Bears games since like forever, knew what to do. Taking tips from him, I got myself into layers of clothes; and when I say layers, I mean like five; including some Packer gear. So much so, even for my hands, I had two separate layers of gloves. In short, I felt like Randy (Ralphie's brother) from "A Christmas Story".

To avoid all the traffic and parking mayhem, we decided to cab it to Soldier Field (just a couple miles away). But before that, apart from all the external protection to combat the cold, we stopped by D4 Pub to down a few drinks to keep us warm from the inside. I badly needed it (Did I mention it was cooooold?). Of course, on the way, I was heckled at by many on the streets. Hmm...maybe it was because I was wearing Packer gear in downtown Chicago. Who knows? (wink wink).

Then a couple hours before kick off, we took a cab to Soldier Field. On the way, of course we were talking about the game. Both of us were real anxious. I sincerely thought the hot streak for the Packers might run out of gas. Especially, given the way the Bears have been playing the Packers of late. While I was expressing those "half glass empty" feelings, Chander, on the other hand, seemed cautiously optimistic. After all, the Bears were playing at home and were well rested with two bye weeks. (Sorry Seattle Seahawks, I count the Seahawks-Bears Divisional Round Game as a bye. You need the other team to show up for a real game). As expected, we had to get off a little far away from the Stadium; a good 25-30 minutes walk (yup, and in the cold).

As we were getting closer to the Stadium, obviously we were were walking along with more and more people. And it was rather encouraging to see some Green and Gold clad folks out there. We tussled our way into Soldier Field through the crowd, past the security check. Got ourselves some beer (again, it was freezing) and headed to our seats (at the North end zone side). Yeah, there were a few Packer fans here and there, but I was surrounded by raucous Bear fans on all sides. None more loud and passionate than my bro.