In the first year After Favre, the Pack became an enigma. They lost a lot of close games, and their 6-10 record doesn’t show how well they played at times, especially early. Going into their Week 8 bye last year, Green Bay was comfy at 4-3 and Aaron Rodgers had posted passer ratings above 100 five times in seven games. Their three losses were to teams considered pretty good at the time; one was to those pesky Falcons who were clipping off surprise victories almost every week.
Things were fine. They went into the off-week tied with Chicago (who also had their bye) for the division lead. Minnesota (who also had a week 8 bye?) trailed at 3-4, and Detroit was already dangling Roy Williams as trade bait. The Packers were looking at a tough schedule down the line, but the rest of the division wasn’t too threatening, and never really would be.
But something must have happened over the bye week, because the Pack went 2-7 the rest of the way, the only victories coming against rivals Chicago and Detroit. Green Bay pasted my Bears in a game that, at the time, stood to decide the division winner with both teams a stunningly mediocre 5-5. Kyle Orton was being rushed back from a cringe-inducing high-ankle sprain and the Bears never stood a chance. It was Green Bay’s biggest win of the season, 37-3. Both teams sucked thereafter and Minnesota crept their way into a first-round playoff exit.
November was particularly tough for Rodgers & Co., going 1-4. The heir to the FavreThrone averaged an 82 rating for the month and had a season-low 59 against New Orleans. They got smoked 51-29 in that game, and the towel was pretty much thrown in by the time December rolled around. It looked like the Pack were getting thrown a bone against 0-15 Detroit in their last game, but the Lions were scrappy and muscled out a 21-31 loss.
The defense was scapegoated in the off-season and Green Bay brought in Dom Capers as Defensive Coordinator to install his 3-4. The Pack drafted defense to comply, taking D-End BJ Raji and LB Clay Matthews with their two first-round picks. Coupled with Justin Harrell, the Pack have gone defense with their last three first-round picks (Harell is his own story, missing most of his first two years in the pros with injuries, and just yesterday he went down again).
Clay Matthews joins AJ Hawk as the 2nd long-blond-haired-underachieving-star-linebacker-from-a-big-school on the team, while BJ Raji is stuck in the Crabtree Contract Quagmire. He left town Tuesday night, which can’t be a good sign. (UPDATE: RAJI HAS AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO A DEAL, NO SIGNATURE YET)
Not to be outdone, the management in Green Bay has decided to cheer everyone up by considering Mike Vick as a backup option. Things have taken a turn for the morbid in Green Bay as the Preseason approaches, but you’ll never know what comes out of that…place. They play up to their good opponents and always compete in division games. Don’t expect that to change, even if Green Bay finishes below .500 again. Which won’t happen. If there’s a team whose arrow is pointing down, it’s Green Bay’s neighbor to the west.
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