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.

NFL 2010: Championship Round Playoff Preview

NFC Championship Game: A Black and Blue Classic
(6) Green Bay Packers [-3.5] at (2) Chicago Bears

This is the oldest rivalry in the history of the game. And for them to face each other (the 182nd time) for a chance to play in the Superbowl? Does not get bigger than this, does it?

I cannot overstate how healthy the Bears have been all year. The only starter for them to miss games this year was Pisa Tinoisamoa. Apart from being extremely fortunate in games all year long (the Calvin Johnson game winning non-catch, playing a few teams with backup QBs etc), the Bears defense has carried their team through some gritty wins this season, earning them a first round playoff bye. And then a semi-bye, playing a Seattle Seahawks team in the Divisional Round that was just happy to be there. So they definitely have the edge here in terms of the chance to be most prepared for this game in terms of health and rest. They also have the reputation of playing the Packers hard the last few years. They are not scared of the Packers as the '90s Bears did.

The Packers have taken an unconventional path to the Championship game; their run featuring loads of injuries and setbacks sprinkled with moments of rallying and rebounding from all that adversity. In short, to reach the super bowl, they will have to have won five consecutive elimination games; including the last three playoff games on the road. And the No.6 seed has reached the super bowl only once in the history of the super bowl era. That's what the Packers are facing.

Packer Game Plan

The Packer offense goes against a highly ranked Tampa-2 Bears defense. Starks did not have a great game last week against Atlanta, but evidently that kid CAN run. But this week, the Bears will stop the run for sure, making the Packers throw a lot. This is where the Packers have to be careful. They cannot afford to be tempted to go deep early and often. The Bears safeties will keep plays in front of them all day long and the deep plays have a chance to be successful only if there is a defensive lapse. The Packers should rely on their short/intermediate passes trusting the 'yards after catch' ability of their WRs. The Tampa-2 Bears defense will allow you to have these passes most of the time. This was the key also in the Atlanta game lame last week. If the Packers get greedy and get sucked into constantly throwing deep, it will only shorten drives with a lot of 3-and-outs.

The Streaking Pack

How about them Packers?

Great Expectations

Before the 2010 season started, the Packers were everyone's trendy pick to go deep into the playoffs. The Packers were entering their third year with Aaron Rodgers as their starter. Mike McCarthy was building up this potent attack, which on the face of it might look like a full fledged passing attack.

Apart from their deep group of Wide Receivers, a lot of the offense was going to be run through TE Jermichael Finley, whose size and speed would be a big match up problem for most opponents. But the un-advertised, less fancy ingredient in the success of this offense was a steady rushing attack. RB Ryan Grant was the steady, one-cut runner that was a perfect fit for the needs of this offense.

On the other side, the 3-4 defense was in its sophomore year under Dom Capers. The off-season hopes were for, apart from steady improvement of the defense as a whole, they needed a big jump in production by the cornerback and linebacker positions (other than Clay Mathews, of course).

That meant, CBs Tramon Williams, Pat Lee, Brandon Underwood or any of the rookies had to pick up their game. Or else, they would have to hope that Al Harris comes back from ACL surgery as a savior mid-way through the season. Among LBs, all eyes were on how Brad Jones would develop his second year. And yeah, Atari Bigby was supposed to be the starting Strong Safety opposite Pro-Bowler Nick Collins.

The Plague

Ryan Grant would go down Week 1 of the season for the year, making Brandon Jackson the No.1 running back for the team. That was followed by a slew of injuries, including the center piece of the passing offense, Finley as early as Week 4. The loss of Mark Tauscher was big for the offensive line. Not to mention Rodgers missed a game (and a half) due to a concussion.

NFL 2010: Divisional Round Playoff Preview

Before getting to this weekend's games, a few thoughts about the Wild Card round last week:

A big win for the Packers on the road at Philadelphia. The Packers defense did a good job of containing Vick in the pocket. They were not too aggressive with their blitzes. But used a bunch of delayed/stunt blitzes to disrupt Vick. It also worked in their favor that the whole world was talking about big time blitzing as the way to stop Vick. And presumably, the Eagles game planned thinking that is what the Packers would do. Must have taken them by surprise that the Packers did not come out all-out with their blitzes. The defense did a good job all over the field, especially the tackling.

The biggest surprise for the Packers though was their running game. James Starks might be a new name for most people. But Packer fans, including yours truly, have been clamoring for more Starks playing time for a few weeks now. But I should admit, I didn't expect him to come out and rush for a 123 yards. But it does bode well for the Packers that they have a respectable running game moving ahead in the playoffs.

One of the biggest stories out of that win for the Packers, was that Aaron Rodgers won his first playoff game. To me, it is a non-story. It was only his second playoff game. And in his first game, in spite of his two albeit crucial mistakes, he threw for 400+ yards and four TDs, helping the Packers score 45 points. Not a bad showing by any means. This was surely not one of those "monkey of his back" moments; like it took Peyton Manning 4 playoff games to get his first win (throwing just one TD and two INT in his first three playoff games - all three losses). This is not an attempt to make a low blow at Manning. But more to put things in perspective that Rodgers is just getting started. Give him some time before you make judgments about his "playoff achievements".


The Packer Crusade: (6) Green Bay Packers [+2.5] at (1) Atlanta Falcons

The Packers are on the road for the second straight week now. This time they are at the Georgia dome facing the No.1 seed. Matt Ryan has an incredible 20-2 record in the dome. This is the re-match of the November 28th meeting between the two teams at Atlanta, where the Packers tied up the game with a TD with about a minute left; after which the Falcons aided by a decent return and a personal foul by the Packers managed to kick a game-winning 47 yard field goal. This time around, the Packers will be hoping for a different ending.

Packers Game Plan

NFL 2010: Wild Card Playoff Round Preview

A crazy NFL regular season came to an end last week; crazy in many ways.

For the first time ever, we have a team with a losing record, the Seattle Seahawks (7-9) winning their division (NFC West), and, in the process, making the playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs managed to hold off the San Diego Chargers, who usually surge towards the end of every year to claim their division crown (AFC West); not so this season. The Oakland Raiders managed to win every game within their division (6-0), but had an overall record of only 8-8, missing the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the St Louis Rams, to a certain extent, proved that it is possible in this league to win consistently even in a rebuilding year. A redemption story on the side-track that inspired most people in the country (and of course angered a fringe few): Mike Vick.

Of course there were the expected "another day in the office" trends this season. The Patriots are back to being one of the better teams; more so due to their schemes and coaching than any particular addition(s) to their roster. Peyton Manning carried the Colts to the playoffs, as usual, in spite of his depleted offensive weapons this year. The Texans, in spite of their hot start, ended the season in the pile of mediocrity (yet Kubiak's job is still safe). The NFC West sucks. The Cowboys are over rated. And then of course: Brett Favre. Brett Favre. Brett Favre.

Now, on to the Wild Card round of the playoffs (seeding in parenthesis)....


AFC Game 1: (6) New York Jets [+4.5] at (3)Indianapolis Colts

So many angles to this game. Rex Ryan defense vs the Peyton Manning offense. Colts off-late improved run defense against the Jets' mainstay running game. Outspoken Rex Ryan and his Jets against the held back Jim Caldwell and his Colts.

Jets Game Plan:
On offense, the Jets will have to maintain a good run-pass balance; starting the game with more passes and eventually control the game with the run. The Colts defense is very one-dimensional and a balanced attack is the first step in exploiting their weakness. The Jets' running game will be there, but the onus will be on Mark Sanchez to complete some critical passes to keep drives alive and keep Manning on the sidelines. The Jets D should be happy that Manning is without some of his trusted weapons. Still, they will need Revis island to be on his A game shadowing Reggie Wayne. That will allow others in the Jets D to curtail Peyton Manning. The most important thing though, which we almost always take for granted is the absence of the Colts running game. It will be imperative for the Jets D to keep it that way, to even give them a chance.

Colts Game Plan:
Peyton Manning may have lost some of his most trusted receivers for the year, but he will still have to make the necessary plays on offense to give his team a chance. He is so good with pre-snap reads, along with his