Let’s get down to business.

Here are three things the Green Bay Packers must, must, must do if they are to advance to the Su…wait…I don’t even want to say that phrase yet…defeat the Chicago Bears in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game (still get chills writing that).

After all, coaches don’t block, tackle, fumble or grab facemasks. The players do that, so they’re ultimately more responsible than guys with headsets, bad comb-overs and beer guts.

Most of the time.

Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia was not one of those times.

Atrociously bad coaching in all three phases [...]]]> Most of the time, coaches take more blame than is appropriate.

After all, coaches don’t block, tackle, fumble or grab facemasks. The players do that, so they’re ultimately more responsible than guys with headsets, bad comb-overs and beer guts.

Most of the time.

Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia was not one of those times.

Atrociously bad coaching in all three phases was the key factor in the Green Bay Packers’ 20-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers now sit at 7-4, a full game (plus the tiebreaker) behind the Chicago Bears in the NFC North. Green Bay is also currently out of the playoffs with five games to go.

The man in charge of it all is, of course, most to blame for the defeat. Two critical Mike McCarthy errors in a span of 10 plays led to a 14-point swing, ultimately the difference in the game. They also carry on the nearly five-year long “two steps forward, two steps back” dance that is becoming McCarthy’s signature move.

On second-and-goal from the Atlanta two-yard line midway through the second quarter, Aaron Rodgers appeared to audible out of the original play call, instead going to a quarterback sneak. The play gained a yard, but no score. There is no harm in what Rodgers did, as he clearly saw something he felt he could take advantage of. But, once that play did not work, McCarthy had zero – repeat: zero – business calling it again on third down.

Yet there he was, calling for a sneak. Rodgers did not protect the ball as well as he should have and it was punched out. That’s on him, but again, it should never have gotten to that point.

McCarthy was given a chance to redeem himself on the ensuing Falcons (9-2) drive. On a fourth-and-three from the Green Bay 36, Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez was given credit for a six-yard catch that he clearly did not make. While it’s unknown exactly what camera angles are available to teams’ replay officials in the Georgia Dome, the fact remains that, even live, the play looked close. Several Packers’ defenders seemed upset with the call also. That should have been enough for McCarthy – on a recent challenge hot streak – to throw the red flag.

He didn’t. Five plays later: 10-3, Falcons. In games like these, that’s usually enough.

But, as the old saying goes, wait – there’s more!

McCarthy’s failures trickled down to the men in charge of the remaining two units. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers did not have his men ready to play in any sense Sunday. You can’t blame him for the Lingerie Football League-style tackling shown throughout, true, but you can blame him for consistently poor scheming.

Early in the game, outside of a few instances, Capers went soft far too often. Against a solid, if unspectacular Atlanta line, his approach was to drop a lot of players in coverage and, hopefully, trick Matt Ryan into a mistake or two. Only problem with that is, Ryan doesn’t make mistakes. Heck, he doesn’t even miss that many passes, going 24-for-28 on the day.

That soft approach also allowed bruising Falcons running back Michael Turner more than enough opportunities to smash and bash his way through the defense, which he did to the tune of 110 yards and a score on 23 carries.

Then, late in the game with Atlanta driving, Capers went 180 degrees the other way, throwing blitz after blitz at Ryan, all coming from seemingly the same place (up the middle). The blitzes failed as Ryan, probably giggling on the inside, calmly sat back and hit a series of short throws – mostly out routes – that set Atlanta up for the game-winning field goal. Capers has been unquestionably brilliant this season. Sunday, he was unquestionably anything but.

Of course, the man who heads up the “unquestionably anything but” department – special teams coach Shawn Slocum – also had a hand in things. Doesn’t he always?

Chalk up another loss in which a crucial special teams error doomed the Packers. This time, it was poor coverage and a foolish, foolish facemasking penalty on Matt Wilhelm on Atlanta’s final return. There were other returns allowed, of course, the Falcons racking up a 31 yard average on the day. And, outside of one nice Sam Shields kick return, there were none to be found for the Packers.

There were also numerous returns Shields had no business making, as he instead should have opted to take the touchback. Rookie mistake? Maybe. But who tells the rookie what to do in such spots?

None of this is a surprise, really, as special teams blunders have cost Green Bay dearly in each of its four losses. Don’t bother banging the “Fire Slocum” drum too much, though, fans; he isn’t going anywhere. McCarthy seems deadset on keeping him around, only furthering the notion that the Packers care exactly zero percent about special teams. And don’t bother blaming the absence of players like Donald Lee, Atari Bigby and Anthony Smith on Sunday, either – even with them present, this group stinks.

If you’re trying to find reasons why the Bears sit as the team to beat in the North, look no further than special teams. Chicago puts an emphasis on it. The Packers do not.

In the big games – which this most certainly was – coaching makes the final difference. In this big game, the Packers coaches failed in every crucial area.

More than anything else, that will be what keeps the 2010 Packers from getting out of their own way.

-Chris Lempesis

But, hey, a win’s a win, right? Oops – let me just turn off this cilche alarm real quick.

And, with the Green Bay Packers improving to 3-1 on the season as a result of their [...]]]> I know, I know – some of you probably don’t think we should be tossing out any donuts after that one.

But, hey, a win’s a win, right? Oops – let me just turn off this cilche alarm real quick.

And, with the Green Bay Packers improving to 3-1 on the season as a result of their 28-26 win over the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on Sunday, some donuts must be passed out. Let’s do that now, shall we?

Offense

A creme-covered, strawberry-filled donut goes to…Aaron Rodgers. Honestly, the numbers don’t say much about Rodgers’ showing (12-of-17, 181 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, three carries, 20 yards). But consider the circumstances: Guiding an offense that saw little action due to the defense’s poor showing, Rodgers still consistently made plays throughout. He was near-perfect in the first half (8-of-9 with all three scores) and far from bad in the second. His first interception was on him, but the second was not, Rodgers lofting a brilliantly-placed pass to Greg Jennings that was pulled away from him (an elite receiver makes that catch, Greg). Then came the final drive, in which Rodgers picked up three crucial first downs, one with his feet (a 16-yard scramble) and two with his arm (including the game-clinching 15-yard pass to Donald Lee). A great quarterback atones for a lot of sins, as we learned yet again.

Defense

A chocolate-covered, glazed donut goes to…Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams. Normally, we only like to give out one donut, but we’re making an exception here. Woodson and Williams were by far Green Bay’s two best defensive players in the contest. In fact, you could make a case that the Packers don’t win this game with lesser players in their spots. After a sluggish start to the season, Woodson picked his game up a few levels here. His 48-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the third quarter proved to be the game-winning score, but there was so much more than that. His coverage was textbook throughout, Woodson blanketing receivers and forcing countless incompletions. Oh, and did I mention he had 13 tackles? ‘Cause he did. Williams’ numbers weren’t as gaudy (two tackles, two passes defended), but simply put, his coverage was picture-perfect and you can tell teams are shying away from throwing at his side more-and-more. He’s raised his game considerably this season and has been the best player in Green Bay’s secondary by far.

Special teams

A multi-colored, sprinkled donut (they are the special teamers, keep in mind) goes to…Um…no one. Sorry, but no one on that unit deserves one. Two fumbles lost from Jordy Nelson? Poor punting (again) from Tim Masthay? Mediocre coverage? To paraphrase the great Herm Edwards, you don’t just give out donuts to give out donuts. Better luck next time, guys.

Finally, a two-day old, plain donut goes to…Dom Capers. Whether Capers was being stupid, arrogant, stubborn or all of the above is unknown. What is known is that his gameplan was simply not very smart. Facing a team that loves throwing to the tight ends/backs – the Lions are a high school team that way – Capers should have known that blitzing consistently, even if you’re facing a terrible offensive line, is a good way to get beat. He didn’t. And, to make matters worse, Capers made no adjustments as the game went on, other than going with his patented “sweep three, drop eight” routine late. Only that wasn’t going to work, because the defense was already gassed. Better offenses loom large on the schedule, Dom. Step. It. Up.

-Chris Lempesis

Well, fear not – we’ve got Packers football tonight. Green Bay heads into Soldier Spaceship – er, Soldier Field – for a Monday Night contest with the Chicago Bears (7:30 p.m. Lambeau Time).

In this matchup of 2-0 teams, who has the edge [...]]]> Man, Sunday’s kind of stink when there’s no Green Bay Packers game, don’t they?

Well, fear not – we’ve got Packers football tonight. Green Bay heads into Soldier Spaceship – er, Soldier Field – for a Monday Night contest with the Chicago Bears (7:30 p.m. Lambeau Time).

In this matchup of 2-0 teams, who has the edge in the position battles? Let’s take a look now. This is part one; part two will run Monday morning.

Quarterback - It’s been an up-and-down first two games for everyone’s preseason MVP, Aaron Rodgers. By my count, he’s played four really good quarters, three bad quarters and one decent quarter. That’s not to say he’s been terrible, just that he hasn’t been flawless. Jay Cutler has been the Cutler that Bears fans thought they were getting a year ago so far, throwing five touchdowns against just one pick. Mike Martz’s system appears to be suiting him just fine, though it is just two games. Edge: Packers

Running backs - One game into the Brandon Jackson-John Kuhn experiment, things aren’t looking so great. While it shouldn’t hurt the Packers too much, long-term, you have to wonder how the offense will hold up in a game where Rodgers struggles. Matt Forte hasn’t done much better on the ground (2.9 yards per carry), but he is bringing great value in the passing game (12 catches, 188 yards, three scores). He’ll act as Martz’s Marshall Faulk in this offense. Packers fans know Chester Taylor from his Vikings’ days as an outstanding pass-catcher and very good pass protector. Look for him to get involved more than a few times in this one. Edge: Bears

Wide Receivers - Things are going pretty much as expected for Green Bay’s highly touted receiving corps, although you have to wonder why the team is dead-set on making James Jones such a factor. Note to broadcasters: He is not a No. 1 receiver for any team in the league and is only a two for about one-third of the teams. No clear No. 1 has emerged for the Bears yet, but the group of Johnny Knox, Devin Hester and Devin Aromashodu is young with plenty of upside. Upside doesn’t win the day here. Edge: Packers

Tight ends - While he has not set the league on fire, as many expected, Jermichael Finley has still turned in two very good games. Last week, we saw what happens when teams decide to single-cover him. Not sure if we’ll see much of that again. Donald Lee has not been a factor at all and Tom Crabtree is a blocker. Much has been written about how Martz does not like to use the tight ends in the passing game. So far, that seems correct as Greg Olsen has just five catches for 76 yards (and a score). Olsen is very talented, though, and should not be overlooked. At 295 pounds, Brandon Manumaleuna is primarily a blocker and will stay in to help cover Cutler. Edge: Packers

Offensive line - Green Bay’s offensive line has been decent so far, but Rodgers has faced more pressure than you’d prefer . The group needs to reach another level. Chad Clifton (knee) is a game-time decision; if he can’t go, in steps rookie Bryan Bulaga. Either way, Chicago will attack that side of the field. The Bears’ front five hasn’t been great, either, and will be going with a pair of guys, Frank Omiyale (left tackle) and Kevin Shaffer (right tackle), playing out of position due to injuries. If the Bears think they can get away with all those five-and-seven-step drops behind this group, they’re nuts. Edge: Packers

So far, the Packers hold the edge in four of five categories. How will things shake out in part two? Again, check back Monday morning to find out.

-Chris Lempesis

Unfortunately, though, it isn’t – it’s merely the preseason opener.

That being the case, we’ll go a different route and merely [...]]]> If Saturday’s contest between the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns – set for 7 p.m. Lambeau Time at, well, Lambeau Field – was a regular season affair, we’d go all out in writing a preview.

Unfortunately, though, it isn’t – it’s merely the preseason opener.

That being the case, we’ll go a different route and merely list some things we’d like to see happen during Packers/Browns.

Offense

• If the starters are indeed to play roughly 20 snaps, obviously, a nice, long scoring drive from that group would be great. Maybe something like a 10-play, 70 yard drive to start the game? Long enough to convince Mike McCarthy that the starters don’t need anymore work than that? ‘Cause, you know, it’s preseason game No. 1?
• Something – anything – positive from the running game while the starters are out there. The ground attack was awful in the “Family Night” scrimmage.
• Donald Lee could ease my mind just a tad on the whole, “Making $2 million this season as a backup tight end” idea by making a play or two.
• Someone step up and begin to take hold of the No. 5 receiver spot. The early money seems to be on either Brett Swain or Charles Dillon. Whoever wins it could become a factor in the offense if there’s an injury to one of the top four (God forbid). And seeing as how the offense appears to be a top-five unit, you’d like to see someone cement themselves there.
• Matt Flynn – you’re going to get a lot of snaps. Be better than you’ve been.
• Graham Harrell – you’ll see some snaps. Keep improving.
• Breno Giacomini – everyone’s talked you up so far. Don’t make them look stupid.
• Quinn Porter – same for you.

Defense

• Again, if the starters are indeed set to play 20 snaps or so, those should be spent overwhelming a putrid Cleveland offense. Not talking about anyone in particular, but rather the group as a whole.
• Actually, stratch that. I’ll be focusing in – if I’m actually able to watch the game, that is – on B.J. Raji, A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar and Morgan Burnett. Four guys who can really make this defense scary good if they have good seasons. Show me some flashes here.
• Pat Lee and Brandon Underwood figure to see a lot of time (some of which will be spent as the No. 1 and 2 corners, respectively). It’d be great to see them build on their nice starts. And, Pat – don’t injury anything.
• Justin Harrell – what I said about Lee applies to you tenfold.
• C.J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn could both provide crucial depth on the line. Each should see the field quite a bit and it’d be great if they could make some plays – or, at least, be beasts in the trenches.
• If you’re tired of being “Mr. August”, Desmond Bishop, you need to be even better than you’ve been in preseasons past. Well, here’s your chance.
• I’ve been the leader of the Sam Shields movement, so I’d love it if he had himself another solid night.

Special Teams

• Mason Crosby – make the damn kicks. No more excuses.
• Chris Bryan and Tim Masthay – neither one of you has claimed the punter job yet. How’s about one of you rectifies that, starting now?
• Someone – anyone – break a big return.

Oh, and I forgot to mention this last one…NO INJURIES!!

We’ll have a recap of the game afterwards, so look out for that.

-Chris Lempesis

In short, similar to most teams at this point. The defense is ahead of the offense, which is almost always the case at any level of football six practices in to a season. OTA/minicamps only do so much for keeping a rhythm, after all, [...]]]> So, six practices in – how are the Green Bay Packers looking?

In short, similar to most teams at this point. The defense is ahead of the offense, which is almost always the case at any level of football six practices in to a season. OTA/minicamps only do so much for keeping a rhythm, after all, although it sounds like the Packers made some big steps forward during Tuesday night’s practice. Nothing that’s happened has changed my thinking that the offense will be absolutely lethal this season.

There have been a handful of early positives and negatives, outside of that, and we’ll get to them now, bullet-point style:

Positives

• Jordy Nelson. Everyone else has written about the sterling camp he’s had thus far, so I guess I should, too. Nelson’s really built on his strong offseason and is the front-runner for the No. 3 receiver spot (guess I was wrong to say James Jones would win that battle, huh?). Nelson and Aaron Rodgers are clearly developing a connection, as it sounds like the two hook-up on at least one deep post route every single practice.
• The depth at corner. Pat Lee, Brandon Underwood and Sam Shields have all made their share of plays early on. Extra bonus points for Lee remaining healthy. If these guys can keep it up, a major question mark will begin to fade for the Pack.
• B.J. Raji (RAJI! It’s back!). The big fella is showing both quickness and power early on. Again, can’t wait to see how he continues to develop.
• The depth at tight end. It sounds like every player from the original four - plus Tom Crabtree – has been really good early on. Donald Lee, for as much as I’ve written him off, seems to be making a case that he’s worth $2 million as a backup. I was certain the team would keep only three tight ends, but if five are playing well, how do you cut two? An early situation to keep an eye on, for sure.
• Breno Giacomini. The coaches praised him all offseason and, turns out, they weren’t kidding. It appears as though he’s finally cashing in on his upside, showing increased strength and knowledge. Bad news if you’re Allen Barbre.
• And did I actually read that Brady Poppinga has been making some plays? Okay – it IS early…

Negatives

• The OLB switch caused by Brad Jones’ back injury (pray that isn’t an injury that lingers). I really dislike the idea of moving Clay Matthews over to the left side. Why mess with something that worked so well last season? Why couldn’t the coaches have just plugged Brandon Chillar in for Jones? Let’s hope this switch isn’t permanent.
• James Starks’ lingering hamstring injury. It sounds like it’s far worse than we were originally told. Starks’ pass-catching abilities could make him a key role player for the offense. That hammy’s got to come around quickly.
• Matt Flynn. Flynn hasn’t been good at all thus far, which is troubling as it seemed like he would just continue to develop. This could be a key year for him, too. I’ve said all along that the Packers could trade him during the 2011 offseason to a team looking for a young starter if he had a good camp/preseason. Hasn’t happened yet.
• Mason Crosby. I know he rebounded with a good Tuesday night showing, but his early struggles still make me worry. I’m trying to stay calm about it, but coming off a terrible 2009 season, you’d think Crosby would come in kicking the lights out early to make some sort of statement. He has not done so. The Packers are not going to bring anyone else in – as much as I might want them to – to compete with Crosby. So, come on, Mason – get it done.
• Jarius Wynn. The depth at d-line is thin, obviously, and Wynn being a second-year player, I thought he might come in having made some sort – any sort – of jump. Wrong. And more pressure is now placed on the rookies there (and Justin Harrell, who at least hasn’t been injured yet).
• Nick Barnett saying he doesn’t care who plays QB for the Vikings, be it Tarvaris Jackson, Norman Bates or Jeffrey Dahmer. Throwing Judas’ name in with the likes of Bates and Dahmer? That’s not good Nick, because…oh, who am I kidding? I LOVED that! Good work, Nick – good work!

Now that we’re all caught up, you should see a return of the “Training Camp Stew” series Thursday.

-Chris Lempesis

We’ll let the skill position players get their due this time around, though, as we make them the focus of part two.

Not bad for a short intro, huh?

Wide receiver

Type of battle: No. 3 receiver spot

Combatants: James Jones (26 years old, 6-feet, 1-inch, 208 [...]]]> We went a different way with part one, focusing on the offensive line first.

We’ll let the skill position players get their due this time around, though, as we make them the focus of part two.

Not bad for a short intro, huh?

Wide receiver

Type of battle: No. 3 receiver spot

Combatants: James Jones (26 years old, 6-feet, 1-inch, 208 pounds, fourth year) and Jordy Nelson (25 years old, 6-feet, 3-inches, 217 pounds, third year)

Thoughts: Consider this round two in the Jones v. Nelson battle. There was really no clear winner during training camp last year and, really, no player grabbed the job during the season, either.

Jones had a slightly better ‘09 season (32 catches, 440 yards, five touchdowns) than did Nelson (22 catches, 320 yards, two touchdowns while missing three games due to injury) but the job is still up for grabs (no pun intended). One of these players needs to come through this season; Donald Driver isn’t going to be around forever, after all.

Jones rebounded from an injury-plagued ‘08 campaign last year, playing in all 16 games. He’s still got a fairly high ceiling and can definitely make big plays. These things only happen occasionally, though. Sometimes, he disappears from games (or worse, can’t hang on to the ball). He needs to become a more refined product.

Nelson strikes me as the more consistent and polished of the two, though he also seems to lack Jones’ big-play abilities. He’s had an outstanding offseason, from the sound of it, as Aaron Rodgers was apparently looking for him more and more throughout the minicamps/OTAs. Nelson, like Jones, struggles with drops, however. That needs to be corrected – and fast.

Early edge: Jones. He’s got an extra year of experience on Nelson and, again, his ceiling appears to be just a bit higher. But Nelson as a No. 4 receiver is definitely a good problem to have.

Fullback

Type of battle: Roster spot

Combatants: Korey Hall (26 years old, 6-feet, 236 pounds, fourth year) and John Kuhn (27 years old, 6-feet, 250 pounds, fifth year)

Thoughts: Quinn Johnson is a lock to make the 53-man roster, in my mind. And since I just can’t fathom the idea of the team keeping three fullbacks yet again, I have to think one of these two isn’t making it to Philly for the season opener.

Hall struggled with injuries last season, only playing in 11 games. He’s not quite the run blocker Kuhn is, but he is a better pass-catching option.

Kuhn, again, is a better pure run blocker and even saw a handful of touches in the short-yardage run game last season. He’s not a bad pass catcher, but appears to be more of a pure fullback.

Early edge: Hall. With Johnson serving as the brute force hammer at the position, the team needs a pass-catcher to help round things out fully. Hall is better at that than is Kuhn, although he must avoid injury in camp. That would tilt things Kuhn’s way.

Tight end

Type of battle: Roster spot

Combatants: Donald Lee (29 years old, 6-feet, 4-inches, 248 pounds, eighth year) and Spencer Havner (27 years old, 6-feet, 3-inches, 250 pounds, second year)

Thoughts: Jermichael Finley is officially “the man” at the position and rookie Andrew Quarless has big-time upside, despite his off-the-field issues. He’s not going anywhere and I just do not see the team keeping four tight ends – Lord help me if I’m wrong.

Just one year ago, it would have seemed silly to say that Lee and Havner would be battling it out. But 365 days can serve as a lifetime in the NFL, thus leaving us where we currently are.

I’ve written this before many times, but Lee has just not been the same player since you-know-who left town. Rodgers has never really favored Lee. Even when he has, Lee has struggled with drops. These things come together to form a picture of a player who just doesn’t have the same confidence he once did. There’s also the little issue of his salary (due $2 million this season), an awfully high amount to pay a backup, potential Super Bowl run or not.

It has not been a good offseason for Havner (see: the crotch-rocket crash that occurred while he was allegedly under the influence). Still, his shoulder appears to be healed up and hopefully Havner can begin building on his solid 2009 season. Despite catching just seven balls in the regular season, four of them went for touchdowns (plus one in the playoff loss). Rodgers looks his way in the red zone, as opposed to, say, Lee (just one touchdown reception last season). Havner is also a special teams demon, something this team desperately needs.

Early edge: Havner. He’s a cheaper option who brings more to the table than does Lee. Lee is desperately in need of a change of scenery and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him traded for help elsewhere (d-line, corner or outside linebacker) before the regular season starts. 

That’s all for the offense. We’ll be back Thursday to take a look at the defense.

-Chris Lempesis

That was written in the context of discussing the Johnny Jolly 2010 Suspension Tour, but really, d-line isn’t the only area Thompson could look to sure up via [...]]]> Monday, I wrote about the idea of Ted Thompson trading a player from an area of relative strength in order to bolster the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line.

That was written in the context of discussing the Johnny Jolly 2010 Suspension Tour, but really, d-line isn’t the only area Thompson could look to sure up via trade at some point during camp.

While it seems unlikely, cornerback and outside linebacker are also areas Thompson could look to tighten up a bit before the season begins. The man hangs onto draft picks the way I grip beers, so trading a player already on the roster is the only route he’d take.

Who are some of the players he could look to move? Here are a few names to consider (and, no, I’m not including the loser of the three-man fullback derby – that’s just ridiculous):

1. Donald Lee, tight end – The selection of Andrew Quarless in the fifth round spoke volumes about Thompson’s feelings regarding the tight end position. Clearly, Jermichael Finley is the man there moving forward. And, for all his offseason stupidity, Spencer Havner is an emerging red zone threat and special teams demon. Those two aren’t going anywhere, meaning Thompson likely feels that Lee is becoming – or has already become – expendable. That makes sense. Lee’s got a big salary (due $2 million this year) for a backup and just has not been the same player since you-know-who left town. Quarless has upside and if he gets off to a good start in camp, Lee could very well become a player to move. Despite his struggles, he could still bring value in a player-for-player swap.
2. The loser of the Daryn Colledge/Jason Spitz left guard battle – Of all the battles to watch in camp, this should be the most hotly contested (more on that in the coming days). On the surface, it makes sense for Thompson to keep whomever loses the battle. Spitz has struggled with injuries and Colledge has been, well, Colledge, an extremely hot-and-cold player. Keeping the loser insures coverage. And both come fairly cheap in a capless season (each is due $1.759 million this season under their respective RFA tenders). But if Thompson feels the team needs help elsewhere, either player would be able to bring back value in a trade. Both have started for much of their careers and each player still has upside (and, again, both would come cheap). It’d be nice to keep both, but if the team is in dire need of help elsewhere, he’d have to consider moving one of these two.
3. Atari Bigby, strong safety – Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that trading Bigby seems far-fetched (and there’s still that little issue of him not having signed his tender yet). But hear me out. Morgan Burnett was one of the major stories of the OTAs/minicamps; in short, the guy was around the ball almost constantly, while working with the No. 1 defense. Bigby isn’t a bad player, but he is still very much living off his 2007 season. If Burnett is clearly the better player in camp – provided Bigby, you know, signs and shows up – isn’t it a waste to have such an expensive backup when you clearly need help elsewhere? Again, Bigby is a decent player and could bring help elsewhere. Doesn’t sound so crazy now, does it?
4. Desmond Bishop, inside linebacker – No, I’m not going to shamelessly mention my recent Twitter tussle with Bishop (oops, I guess I just did). The Packers already have a capable – and expensive – trio of players ahead of Bishop on the depth chart in Nick Barnett, Brandon Chillar and A.J. Hawk. Those three are firmly entrenched as the top guys at that position heading into the season. Bishop has shown flashes in previous preseasons/his limited regular season playing time, but he can’t seem to make the field on a regular basis. I don’t doubt that he’s got ability, but it seems unlikely that he’ll make the field in 2010 unless two of those three guys go down with injuries. That being the case, wouldn’t he be a perfect candidate to be moved for help elsewhere? I say yes. Similar to the situation at left guard, it’d be nice to keep all four, but sometimes, you don’t have that luxury, especially when you’re trying to make your team as deep as possible for a potential Super Bowl run.
5. Jarrett Bush, cornerback/safety/bain of my existence – Okay, okay, this one’s a joke. I doubt you could get more than a six-pack of Keystone Light back for Bush in a trade, but seriously, I’d do it. At least Keystone Light doesn’t get burned every…single…time.

-Chris Lempesis

It feels like I’ve been saying that a lot lately. That’s because, well, I have.

My reasons are, of course, legit. First it was vacay-time; then I got sick; and, finally, I’ve been out of town attending my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. I don’t forsee [...]]]> So it’s been a minute since I’ve last written for the site.

It feels like I’ve been saying that a lot lately. That’s because, well, I have.

My reasons are, of course, legit. First it was vacay-time; then I got sick; and, finally, I’ve been out of town attending my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. I don’t forsee any future delays, so we should be good to go from now until the start of training camp (just 12 days away – holy crap).

Again, we apologize for the overall lack of consistency with the posts lately.

So, with that said, let’s wrap-up the past handful of days’ activity surrounding the Green Bay Packers.

• Team releases financial numbers

Last Wednesday, the Packers released their financial numbers for the past fiscal year. As a publicly-owned team, they kind of have to. The numbers showed the team had a significant drop in overall profit, from $20.1 million for the 2009 fiscal year to $9.8 million for the 2010 fiscal year.

The team attributed the dip in overall profit to rising player salaries. Considering the fact that the Packers dished out roughly $80 million in new salaries over the offseason – combined with rising numbers for players like Aaron Rodgers – I’m not surprised. In short, it’s becoming more and more expensive to run a football team.

In order to survive, the team must create new ways to bring in bucks. The idea of hosting an annual Big Ten Championship football game would certainly help, as would adding more seats. I think it’s a lock that more seats will eventually be added, but I’m less sure on the Big Ten title game. It’s a great idea, but I have such little faith in those running college football. I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to screw it up.

The team seems committed to keeping ticket prices reasonable and I have a feeling that will continue. But don’t be surprised if there’s a slight rise in concession prices at some point in the near future. By charging a buck or two more for things, the team can bring in a lot more money. Ultimately, I have no problem with that.

Not surprisingly, the league and the NFLPA are making a big deal of the numbers. But the Packers numbers aren’t necessarily indicative of the rest of the league, so I’m not sure why. This team truly is unique in regards to almost everything – market size, fan interest, etc. - so both sides would be wise to avoid making the Packers an example of anything.

• What to do now that Jolly is gone

Gene wrote about the Jolly suspension Friday. Seeing as how I had zero internet access, I’m glad he did.

And even though it’s been a few days, I figured I’d weigh in quick. Obviously, Jolly’s absence is big. He’s a great fit for the 3-4 and had a really good season last year. I love how, when a player is suspended, everyone instantly downplays his importance. Don’t. Jolly would have been a crucial piece to the defense in 2010 and beyond.

That said, I have faith that someone will emerge out of the group of Mike Neal, C.J. Wilson, Jarius Wynn and – why not? – Justin Harrell. Actually, two players from that group will have to emerge for the line to avoid running out of gas come December. Well, there’s four options, so the odds are in Green Bay’s favor.

My best guess is that the team will use the first couple of weeks of camp to figure out if those two options are in-house. If not, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see Ted Thompson tap some of the team’s depth elsewhere in order to bolster the d-line. Tight end (Donald Lee), offensive line (Jason Spitz, Daryn Colledge) or safety (Atari Bigby) are all areas he could look to. 

Either way, the line should be alright, so don’t go panicking. You should still be every bit as high on this team as you were before Mr. Purple Drank got shelved for the year. I know I am.

• Team signs third-round pick Morgan Burnett

I’d just like to say this: See, Atari, safeties can sign contracts.

• I got to be on Cheesehead Radio…and here’s proof

Thursday, the fine folks at Cheesehead Radio had yours truly on as a guest. My LeBron/Judas article, the story of OBOD and, yes, my recent Twitter tussle with Desmond Bishop (who went on record to say he does NOT want to kill me, thank God) were all discussed.

Here’s the link. Sorry about my voice sounding so Lempesis-y. This is why I’m a writer. And thanks again to the CHTV folks for having me on. My Thursday nights are usually open, guys, so…you know, I’m just saying…hint, hint.

• Congrats to our contest winners!

Last week, we had our “Name That Packer” trivia contest here at OBOD.

Two lucky folks were able to answer correctly, winning themselves t-shirts from Sconnie.com.

Kathy Wutkowski nailed our first question after just one clue, correctly guessing Edgar Bennett.

We purposefully made our second question much, muuuuch harder to answer. After a day of misses, JonBob over at JonBobsPackBlog correctly guessed cornerback/safety/bain of EVERYONE’S existence Jarrett Bush.

Kathy will receive a “The Mighty Clay” shirt while JonBob will receive a “We’ll never forget you Brent” shirt. We’re working on getting those out to you guys as soon as we can.

Thanks to Adam for running the contest while I was away, and thanks again to the folks at BrentFavre.com for their assistance.

• Finally…

We’ll begin our “Friendly Fire” training camp series this week, with our “Know Your Enemy” series on the other NFC North teams soon to follow.

Actually, that’s all I had for that one.

-Chris Lempesis