Check it out [...]]]> Happy Thanksgiving, all — we’re back with another Ol’ Bag of Donuts podcast, recapping the win over the Vikings (and taking some time to mock them), previewing Sunday’s big tilt with the Falcons, answering some reader questions and placing another call to our good friend, disgraced former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman.

Check it out below. If you’d like to download it, click on the link on the right-hand side of the player:

–Gene Bosling

Al Harris was a Green Bay Packer no more.

The team officially released Harris, ending the 36-year old cornerback’s eight-year tenure with the club. The team had until Tuesday to decide if it wanted to active Harris, coming off reconstructive knee surgery, from the PUP [...]]]> What was first reported early Monday morning became official later Monday morning.

Al Harris was a Green Bay Packer no more.

The team officially released Harris, ending the 36-year old cornerback’s eight-year tenure with the club. The team had until Tuesday to decide if it wanted to active Harris, coming off reconstructive knee surgery, from the PUP list. He will now be placed on waivers.

A multitude of factors likely went into Harris’ release. The strong play of undrafted rookie Sam Shields, as well as Harris’ age, salary and the serious injury he suffered roughly a year ago against San Francisco are chief among them. While this is pure speculation on my part, it’s also entirely possible Harris was not comfortable with being relegated to a No. 3 or (possibly) No. 4 corner role.

But, enough about that. Let’s talk about Harris’ seven seasons with the team. It was a run that began under somewhat dubious circumstances.

In 2003, Harris – a then-28-year old nickel back for the Philadelphia Eagles – was acquired, along with a fourth round pick, for Green Bay’s second round selection in that year’s draft. Secondary help is almost always needed, to be sure, but boy, that seemed like a steep price to pay for a relatively unproven player. At the time, the move looked like yet another gem courtesy of the king of such gems, then-general manager Mike “A punter in the third round? I’ll take it!” Sherman.

It did not take long to figure out that Sherman had, in fact, pulled off a steal of a trade. Almost instantly, Harris made a major impact for Green Bay’s defense. Never the fastest corner around, Harris made his name as a physical, nasty bump-and-run specialist. The numbers for opposing teams’ top wideouts began dropping rapidly. Hey, this cat with the dreads was pretty good. Harris picked off three passes, returning one for a score, in starting all 16 regular season games that year.

But it was week one of the postseason that year in which Harris delivered his signature moment.

Packers. Seahawks. Overtime. 27 all. Seattle facing a third-and-11 at their own 45. Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck went to his hot route, wideout Alex Bannister, after Green Bay unleashed an all-out blitz (i.e., the “thriller blitz”). Bannister was unaware he was supposed to cut his route short. Harris jumped the route, snagged the ball and housed it for the walk-off score, causing a then 23-year old Chris Lempesis to briefly think he’d broken his arm after tripping while running around the house screaming.

That alone gave Harris legendary status in my book. But he was just getting started. Over the six seasons that followed, Harris just continued to shutout top receivers week-in and week-out. At one point, Chad Ochocinco called him the toughest corner in the league to face. And, in case you have forgotten, Ocho doesn’t praise many corners.

His interception totals were never very high. He never recorded more than three in any of his seasons with the team and totaled just 11 after that first year. But, dig deeper – look at some of his passes defended totals. He had 20 in 2004, 17 in 2006. Those numbers are astounding. Charles Woodson made the sexy plays, but remember, until a year ago, Woody did so as the team’s de-facto No. 2 corner. Not a dig at Woodson at all – just saying.

It wasn’t all rosey for Harris, however. On more than one occasion, he was absolutely shredded in a big game. Plaxico Burress destroyed him throughout the NFC Championship Game in ‘08, as did Terrell Owens in a game at Dallas earlier that year. Brett Favre did the same to his former teammate in a Monday night contest at Minnesota early last season, as well.

But what I always admired most about Harris was his ability to bounce back, his “short-term memory”, as they like to say. Whether he’d just played his best game or his worst, Harris was always going to give you the same effort every week. In a league where guys are wrecked by singularly bad performances all the time, Harris never was.

After his career-threatening injury last year, Harris allowed us to follow him on his road to recovery. Through a series of internet videos, we were able to witness first-hand the struggles he went through on his journey to reach the field once again. Although the odds were ridiculously stacked against him, watching him work, you got the feeling he’d make it back. And when he ran out on to the field for that first time in green and gold, oh, what a moment it was going to be.

Sadly, it’s there that the realities of NFL life interjected. “It’s a business,” yada, yada, yada – you know the drill.

But for seven seasons, the tall, thin man with the wirey dreads was an absolute joy to watch. His time in Green Bay is done, but his playing days are not. Wherever he lands, I can only hope he brings those fans one-tenth the joy he brought us.

I have a feeling he will.

-Chris Lempesis

Nathan asked in his e-mail: “At what price comes winning – would we tolerate a Roethlisberger with the Pack if he brought [...]]]> (Thursday, I wrote about a topic submitted to us by one of our readers, Nathan Heineke. Unfortunately, I was not able to touch on the final part of Nathan’s multi-layered question. I will do that now.)

Nathan asked in his e-mail: “At what price comes winning – would we tolerate a Roethlisberger with the Pack if he brought home the rings?”

It’s an interesting, and difficult, question to answer.

Originally, I was certain we would not tolerate such a player on the Green Bay Packers. The first thing – or should I say, person – that came to my mind was Mark Chmura.

When sexual assault allegations were leveled against Chmura in 2000, stemming from an incident at a post-prom party in Waukesha, it didn’t take long for Packers fans to collective turn on the former Pro Bowl tight end. He had yet to go to trial, but to many of us, he was already guilty of terrible judgement. As such, he was no longer someone we considered “one of us.” The organization clearly agreed, quickly releasing Chmura (who was, of course, later found not guilty on all charges).

The idea of a player needing to be “one of us” – or, as some put it, “Packer People” – was really started by Ron Wolf, the same man who released Chmura. It’s essentially a nice way of saying that anyone who plays for the Packers must also be a person of high character. Wolf was always a big believer in the idea that you could not win with bad character people. Mike Sherman and Ted Thompson have followed Wolf’s thinking, for the most part, and it’s become a fairly important factor in the decision-making process for the organization. Not all organizations take the same approach (see: the Cincinnati Bengals).

Roethlisberger, through and through, does not seem like a “Packer Person.” He comes across as rude, arrogant and intolerant of those he deems to be beneath him. Even his own teammates have turned against him in the past and, again, that’s not even mentioning the sexual assault allegations that have been thrown at him.

So, there it is, cut and dry, right? We wouldn’t tolerate him, would we?

Then, of course, my mind quickly drifted to Chmura’s old drinking buddy, Brett Favre. If Chmura provides us a (somewhat dated) reference of how the team might handle a player dealing with sexual assault allegations, Favre provides us a (somewhat dated) reference on how the team might handle a quarterback going through numerous off-field issues.

So many people, especially the idiots at ESPN, like to gloss over Favre’s checkered past now, but we all remember how he used to be. An admitted alcoholic and drug addict – with a wife who almost left him on at least one occassion – Favre was very much a PG-13 version of what Roethlisberger is now. We know more about Roethlisberger’s non-sexual assault-related bad behavior than we do Favre’s, true. But that’s likely because of today’s 24-hour news cycle and the fact that, as I’ve always said, a lot of the Packers get their incidents swept under the rug due to Green Bay being a smaller city and more protective of its football team.

And it was when I thought about Favre that I came to this ultimate conclusion: We would, as sad as it might sound to some, tolerate Roethlisberger if he were on the Packers.

(I’ll give you a moment to calm down. Okay. We good?)

At numerous points during Favre’s struggles, the organization and fans stuck by him. A lot of that had to do with Favre genuinely seemingly like a good person (came up snake eyes on that roll, huh?). Again, Roethlisberger wouldn’t have that going for him if he were in Green Bay because he seems like an utter prick.

He’d have this though: Two Super Bowl championships (for the purposes of this discussion, I’m assuming Roethlisberger has been a Packer his entire career and done everything in Green Bay that he’s done in Pittsburgh.)

We stuck by Favre because, even then, he was a larger-than-life figure, yet someone whom we felt we knew. But let’s not kid ourselves, either – we also stuck by him because he was a winner, a three-time MVP who brought us our first Super Bowl title in nearly 30 years. If Favre had been mediocre or even simply average, it’s unlikely the organization and fans would have stuck by him as vigorously as we did. Remember, Roethlisberger and Favre play the most important position not just in football, but in all of sports. That goes a long way in making such decisions.

It’s even harder today to both win games and find good quarterbacking than it was 15 years ago, something that only furthers my case. And, really, that’s what we as Packers fans care about more than anything – winning. We are as passionate a fan base as you will find in sports, professional or collegiate, and we need Green Bay to be good, to win. We want our players to be good people; we need them to be winners. There’s a huge difference, whether some of us are willing to admit that or not.

(Example: The Packers had a great run in the 1990s. We got a title of out it. The Dallas Cowboys got three in that decade. If you could switch players, meaning all the guys who played for Dallas would have played for Green Bay and vice versa, and the success was exactly the same – meaning we’d have won three titles – would you do it? Believe me, it’s not as easy an answer as you might expect.)

Don’t get me wrong, though. We’d be every bit as furious at Roethlisberger as Steelers fans are. Some of us would turn our backs on him, as of now. We’d refuse to wear his No. 7 jersey, we’d curse him while out with friends and we’d talk a big game about how the organization should do everything in its power to get rid of him.

The key words in that last paragraph: as of now. Come July – and especially come September – we’d want him back on that field playing for our squad, because he’s an elite quarterback and, more often than not, he’ll lead the team we care about to victory. Remember, as Herm Edwards famously said, you play to win the games. You don’t just play to play.

With someone like Roethlisberger, we’d know we were playing to win. Is that a sad commentary on us as fans? Perhaps.

To tolerate such a player, would we be selling off a tiny piece of our souls? Again, maybe.

But if you want to win, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. That’s just the way it is.

-Chris Lempesis

But no longer can you say he doesn’t want to put the Green Bay Packers over the top.

I say that because, as many of you know by now, it was announced Friday that free safety Nick Collins and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had both agreed to long-term extensions with [...]]]> Say what you want about Ted Thompson.

But no longer can you say he doesn’t want to put the Green Bay Packers over the top.

I say that because, as many of you know by now, it was announced Friday that free safety Nick Collins and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett had both agreed to long-term extensions with the team.

Collins received a three-year deal worth $23.4 million, with $14 million in first year pay. Pickett was given a four-year extension worth $28 million, with $10 million coming in the first year.

(Hey, did someone predict that the team would announce an extension with Collins during Fan Fest this weekend? Anyone?)

Obviously, there will be a ton of numbers to digest with these two contracts and, as usual, we at OBOD will break them down fully in the days ahead.

For now, though, the big story involving the pair of extensions is this: By handing out over $51 million to two crucial players – $71 million if you include the three-year deal signed by left tackle Chad Clifton a week ago – Thompson took another massive step from “Building for five years from now Ted” to “Going for it NOW Ted.”

There were likely more than a few Packers fans who figured Thompson would come up with a way to screw the Collins/Pickett situations up. He’d never pay Collins, they thought, thus leading to a prolonged – and distracting – holdout. Pickett might get a deal, they thought, but the team might also just have him play the season on his one-year franchise tender. Either way, two key members of the defense would be unhappy and the season would be in doubt six months before it even started.

The sky is falling!

You know these people.

“I can’t stand TT!”

“I hate TT!”

“He was mean to poor ol’ Brett and Brett’s just like me!”

“TT’s the devil!”

To those people I can now say, once and for all: If you still can’t see what Thompson is doing here, that’s only because you don’t want to see what he’s doing here.

Thompson does care about winning. In fact, I think he cares a lot. I think he sees what we all see: That the Packers have a legitimate shot to get to, and win, the Super Bowl. He wasn’t about to let that pass him by and, as a result, was willing to open up the checkbook and pay two guys who can go a long way towards making those Lombardi trophy-filled dreams a reality.

But he had to wait for the right time to do such things. And if you really think about it, this is the first time in his five-plus years as general manager that it was the right time.

He couldn’t do it at the beginning. The team was too old, too overpaid and just too Mike Sherman-y to have a chance.

After 2006, the team was too young and too Brett Favre-y (Thompson likely knew even then that Favre could never actually get to, and win, a Super Bowl).

After 2007, Favre was gone – or so we thought – and Aaron Rodgers – as much as we liked his potential – was a complete unknown.

After 2008, the defense was transitioning and he wanted to see what he had there before paying players like Collins and Pickett.

But now?

It’s officially ALL there - a rising superstar quarterback (who doesn’t kill his team with turnovers in big spots), a high-powered offense and a defense that is really only a player or two away from being scary good (oh yeah, that unit led the league in stopping the run last year, too). And with the way he kept this team together after a near-disastrous 4-4 start, it’s clear that Thompson has a legimitately good head coach in Mike McCarthy. Thus, it was time to do whatever it took to keep the pieces in place.

Which is exactly what he did.

I don’t think he’s done, either. McCarthy said, at Fan Fest on Friday, that the team is closing in on a new deal for right tackle Mark Tauscher. I was certain Green Bay would move on to T.J. Lang at that spot, as there was no way Thompson would pay starter money to two tackles over the age of 32. But, shockingly, it looks like he’s going to. By re-signing two players who might only have one year apiece left in them, how can you come away thinking he isn’t loading up for a run this year?

And, by hitting a grand slam in trading up to grab Clay Matthews last April, you have to wonder now if Thompson won’t take a similar approach in this year’s draft. I’ve said all along that I thought the Packers would take their left tackle of the future at pick No. 23. I’m beginning to re-think that a bit. If you think Clifton and Tauscher can get the job done for one more year, maybe you focus on defense with that pick. Maybe you aim for that guy who could put the unit over the top – an outside linebacker to go opposite Matthews or a cornerback, perhaps. Maybe you look for a tackle in round two.

After all, if “Slow-and-steady Teddy” is willing to change his outlook, I’m sure as hell willing to change mine.

-Chris Lempesis

–Brad Childress said he talked to Brett Favre twice this week, but couldn’t pin him down on how he feels about returning, because Favre had other things — like landscaping — on his mind.

–Childress said Favre has “earned that latitude” to essentially take as long as he wants to make a decision, possibly even [...]]]> To recap:

–Brad Childress said he talked to Brett Favre twice this week, but couldn’t pin him down on how he feels about returning, because Favre had other things — like landscaping — on his mind.

–Childress said Favre has “earned that latitude” to essentially take as long as he wants to make a decision, possibly even to skip minicamp and part of training camp again.

–He’s prepared to go into the season with Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels if Favre doesn’t come back.

Anyone who has been watching Childress since he picked Favre up from the airport last August should be surprised by none of this.

It was clear back then that Childress was ready to give up control of his team to Favre — setting false deadlines, giving Favre special treatment and putting his other quarterbacks on standby — to get a shot at having the 40-year-old on his team. Everything he did over the course of the 2009 season corroborated that, from the reports about Childress’ inability to pull Favre from several games, even though he wanted to, to Favre’s willingness to take a vengance shot down the field against the Packers by changing a play at the line of scrimmage to a deep pass, even though Childress called for a run.

If you’re Brett Favre, why would you even listen to Brad Childress this time of year? Why not wait until the first week of the season to come back? And if all it takes to get Childress to back off is a laughable line about landscaping, why would you put any stock in any of his rules during your inevitable return to the Vikings?

Childress came to Minnesota preaching about a “culture of accountability,” but has rendered that concept laughable with his repeated acquisitions of questionable characters. His kowtow to Favre is only the latest example. Maybe it benefited him financially — he got a contract extension by riding Favre to a 12-4 season before the predictable Favre playoff implosion, and he wouldn’t have gotten that deal without Favre. But it doesn’t bode well for a team that’s getting older and will have to fight off a Packers team that should only get better.

Look, we all know Favre is probably going to play in 2010. He’s going to reach 500 touchdown passes and 70,000 yards if he returns, and he seems to be obsessed with what’s becoming a Quixotic quest for an Elway-like ending. And while nobody is suggesting he needs to go through two-a-days to learn the game or room with Sidney Rice to develop chemistry, Childress is giving up even more by conceding those points up front.

Here’s where that will harm the Vikings coach the most: We Packers fans know all too well what erratic play an unbridled Favre is capable of. We saw it in 2004 and 2005, when Favre was essentially given free reign by coach Mike Sherman and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell (now the Vikings’ offensive coordinator). We saw in 2007 — and unfortunately, in 2009 with the Vikings — what brilliance Favre can still conjure up when he’s at least paying some respect to a framework. But we also know that in the last stages of his career, he’s never been capable of keeping it together two years in a row. And nothing about Childress’ current approach is suggesting he’ll create the confines Favre now needs to thrive.

What does this mean for us as Packers fans? Right now, not much. The odds Favre comes back are still high, in my opinion, and the Packers have plenty of their own questions to answer before that decision comes (probably this summer). But it does increase the possibility of two games where Favre is airmailing throws off his back foot, doggedly forcing balls to his favorite targets and refusing to take the smart play when the gutsy one is available. That, coupled with an improving Aaron Rodgers and the (inexplicable) job security of Childress, means revenge could come rather quickly.

But in an objective sense, Childress isn’t doing himself any favors. The book on Favre is well-worn at this point, and Childress is flouting it, making every mistake the Packers made with Favre during the Mike Sherman era. At some point, he might be better off moving on.

Because if he can’t compete with landscaping in February, how’s he going to steer Favre away from lugheaded decisions in December?

–Gene Bosling

I say that because, on the same day we kicked off our list of the top moments/games of the decade, Green Bay Press Gazette sports editor Mike Vandermause wrote a column in which he listed the top 10 Packers-related stories of the decade. Vandermause’s column also focused on off-the-field [...]]]> Funny how things work out sometimes, isn’t it?

I say that because, on the same day we kicked off our list of the top moments/games of the decade, Green Bay Press Gazette sports editor Mike Vandermause wrote a column in which he listed the top 10 Packers-related stories of the decade. Vandermause’s column also focused on off-the-field stuff, such as the respective retirements of Brett Favre and Ron Wolf, so the list’s aren’t really that similar.

Hopefully, though, the list we came up with at our little dog-and-pony show here will provide a nice compliment to Vandermause’s list in order to give people a more thorough view of the decade that was for the Green Bay Packers.

With that said, it’s time to unveil the final part of our list of the top 10 moments/games of the decade.

(Fair warning: The descriptions for these ones are a bit longer than in the first part, so strap in.)

Again, enjoy.

5. “Dan Marino – Step Aside” – at Minnesota, September 30, 2007. In week three of the ‘07 season, the Packers earned a heartstopping 31-24 win at Lambeau over the mighty San Diego Chargers. It was a huge win as it announced to the rest of the league that Green Bay was, in fact, for real. Lost in all that excitement – at least for a minute or two – was the fact that Favre’s fourth quarter touchdown pass to Greg Jennings was the 420th of his career, tying him with Dan Marino for the all-time mark. He would have a chance to break the record the next week on the road against the hated Vikings. And it didn’t take him long to do just that. With five minutes left in the first quarter, on a third-and-7 from Minnesota’s 16-yard line, Favre made a last-second adjustment before hitting Jennings on a slant route (fitting that it would come on a slant, no?). Jennings did the rest, sprinting into the endzone and allowing Favre to surpass Marino once and for all. The crowd, comprised of at least 50 percent Packers’ fans (I know this because Adam and I were at the game), erupted before Marino himself paid tribute to Favre via a taped announcement on the Jumbotron at the Metrodome. The Packers went on to win, 23-16, improving to 4-0 on the season. Watch it here.

4. “He Did What?!?!” – vs. Minnesota, November 6, 2000. The Packers looked to be in trouble heading into this “Monday Night Football” affair. The game was at Lambeau, yes, but the Pack - under first-year head coach Mike Sherman - stood at just 3-5 while the Vikings came in a pistol-hot 7-1. Green Bay, surprisingly, held its own in the first half, trailing just 13-10 at the break. Trailing 20-13 in the third, the Packers evened the score on a two-yard touchdown run from Ahman Green. It appeared to be all-for-not when Gary Anderson headed out for a 32-yard field goal with just seven seconds left in the fourth. Remember, though, it was raining pretty hard in Titletown that night. That rain caused Minnesota holder Mitch Berger to lose control of the snap and attempt a crazy heave of desperation. Tyrone Williams picked him off and we were headed to overtime. The Pack won the toss and slowly made their way into Minnesota territory. On a third-and-4 from the Vikings’ 43, Favre looked to his right and threw one up for Antonio Freeman. Enter Lambeau magic. At first, Minnesota cornerback Cris Dishman appeared to pick Favre off. But he couldn’t get a grip on it and the ball darted towards the turf, where Freeman was already on his stomach. The ball bounced off Freeman’s shoulder, arm and facemask before finally resting in his right hand. Freeman, realizing the play was live, got up, made a move on a Vikings’ defender and sprinted into the endzone for the game-winning score as the Packers had earned a 26-20 victory. In the more than nine years since that night, I’ve seen the replay of that catch roughly eight million times – and I still have no idea how he caught it. I do know that I’m sure glad he did. Watch it here.

3. “Nate Poole Is Our Hero” – vs. Denver, December 28, 2003. The outlook was bleak for the playoff hopes of the 2003 Packers heading into the final week of the regular season. Here is a quick refresher of what needed to happen. Green Bay, sitting at 9-6, needed to beat Denver and:

A)  hope that a good Seattle team lost to a bad 49ers squad. Didn’t happen. Seattle won, 24-17.

B) hope that a good Dallas team would defeat a mediocre Saints bunch. Didn’t happen. Dallas lost, 13-7 (again, thanks for nothing, Dallas).

The failure of those two scenarios left the Packers with one, and only one, shot to get into the tournament: Beat Denver and hope that the Vikings – somehow, someway – would lose to the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals. Sure, Minnesota (also at 9-6) had sputtered after starting the season 6-0 – but, I mean, come on, the Cardinals? No way the Vikes lose that one. In a delicious bit of scheduling, the Vikings game (at Arizona) and the Packers game (at Lambeau) were both scheduled for late starts. The game itself at Lambeau on this day was not extremely memorable (outside of a 98-yard touchdown run by Green). With the Broncos’ playoff position already solidified, Denver rested most of its starters as the Packers rolled to a 31-3 win. In the desert, though, things were more than interesting. The Vikings, after falling behind 6-0, scored 17 unanswered points and held a commanding fourth quarter lead. It looked like Green Bay was about to walk away empty-handed, despite closing the season on a four-game win streak. Just then, though, Arizona scored. The two-point conversion failed, but the Cards were still within striking distance at 17-12. But there was just so little time left. The Cards would have to recover on onside kick, then go down and score, all in less than two minutes. Well, they got the onside kick and on a fourth-and-25 – fourth-and-25!! – at the Minnesota 27, Arizona quarterback Josh McCown lobbed a prayer into the endzone that was pulled down by Nate Poole with no time remaining. Poole didn’t get two feet in, but it was ruled a score because of the push-out rule (which no longer exists). Cards win 18-17. The news reached a frenzied Lambeau in about .5 seconds. Despite nearly impossible odds, the Packers had made the playoffs as the 2003 NFC North champs. And, if only for a day, Nate Poole was the hero of an entire fan base. Watch it here (and, just for fun, watch this too).

2. “We Want the Ball and We’re Gonna Score” – vs. Seattle, January 4, 2004. Sure, the events of week 17 of the 2003 season played to Green Bay’s benefit. But they simply got the Packers into the playoffs. If they were to advance, they would have to get past a more-than-formidable Seattle team that finished second in the NFC West with a 10-6 record. After 30 minutes of football at Lambeau, the Packers were looking good. Two Ryan Longwell field goals and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Bubba Franks (not sure if anyone else remembers that pass, but it was an absolute rocket, even by Favre standards) powered Green Bay to a 13-6 halftime advantage. If the Packers could just get one more score, they’d likely have the game in the bag. Then came the third quarter and a pair of one-yard touchdown runs from Seattle’s Shaun Alexander. Green Bay, on the other hand, was held scoreless. This massive sea change resulted in the Packers trailing 20-13 heading into the fourth. The sea shifted again, this time in Green Bay’s favor, in the fourth. Two one-yard touchdown runs from Green gave the Pack a 27-20 lead with just 2:44 to play. The defense just could not hold, though. Seattle ripped off a seven-play, 67-yard drive in less than two minutes, capped off by Alexander’s third one-yard touchdown run of the day. The Packers drained the final 51 ticks off the clock and we were headed to overtime. Seattle won the toss, prompting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to utter eight words that will never be forgotten by Packers fans (and, probably, Seahawks fans, too): “We want the ball and we’re gonna score.” Well, as Gene likes to say, somebody scored alright. On a third-and-11 at the Seattle 45, Green Bay went with an all-out blitz (dubbed the “Thriller blitz” by the defense). Hasselbeck went to his hot receiver, Alex Bannister, who was supposed to cut his route short. He didn’t. Al Harris jumped the route, picked the pass off and returned it 52 yards for the walk-off score. Lambeau erupted as the Packers had advanced with a 33-27 win. Watch it here.

1. “Snowglobe Game” – vs. Seattle, January 12, 2008. If someone had said, 4:59 into this game, that this would ultimately end up as the Packers’ No. 1 moment of the decade, you would have smacked them in the mouth. And, really, you would have had good reason to do so. After all, a pair of Ryan Grant fumbles on Green Bay’s first two drives of the game – which, by the way, happened to be a divisional playoff game AT LAMBEAU – led to two Seahawks’ touchdowns, giving the visitors a 14-0 lead. All the goodwill we’d built up, all the joy we’d experienced during the regular season seemed to be all for nothing. Adam was actually at this game and he said you could hear a pindrop after Hasselbeck hit Bobby Engram for Seattle’s second score of the day. But just then, something happened. The Packers got to driving and ended up scoring on a 15-yard pass from Favre to Jennings. The next Green Bay drive also ended in a score – this time it was Grant from one-yard out – and, all of a sudden, the game was tied. Had we really taken their best punch and remained in the game? As it turned out, we indeed had, as the next four – FOUR! – Packers’ drives all ended in touchdowns. Seattle mustered but two field goals in the midst of that onslaught. The final score? 42-20, Packers. But those aren’t the only reasons this earns the top spot. There was also Grant, bouncing back from his horrendous start to turn in a once-in-a-lifetime performance for a running back (an astounding 201 yards and three touchdowns on just 27 carries). There was the defense holding a good Seahawks’ offense to just 200 total yards. Finally, there was the environment in which the game took place. A wicked snow storm – even by Wisconsin standards – blasted the Fox Cities with inches upon inches of snow that day, turning Lambeau into a snowglobe of sorts as the game went on. People said they had to watch the scoreboard to see what was actually taking place. It was insane (photographic evidence soon to follow). And when you add this all up, could there really be a better moment of the past 10 years? Absolutely not. Watch it here.

That concludes our list. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. What will the next 10 years bring us? Aaron Rodgers getting some face time with the Lombardi Trophy, perhaps? As always with sports, you never know. But you can always hope – and that’s the best part.

-Chris Lempesis

Without further adieu, here’s part two. Hey, that rhymed!

Also, I’ve decided to run this part as defense only. Including the special teams players here would make this post far too long for you guys to read all at once. The special teams section will be up later today (I promise).

Again, [...]]]> Alright, hope y’all enjoyed part one.

Without further adieu, here’s part two. Hey, that rhymed!

Also, I’ve decided to run this part as defense only. Including the special teams players here would make this post far too long for you guys to read all at once. The special teams section will be up later today (I promise).

Again, enjoy.

Defensive end: Aaron Kampman (2002-Present). Remember when Kampman almost became a Viking? Many forget this now, but Kampman signed an offer sheet with Minnesota after the 2004 season. Good thing Ted Thompson decided to match it as Kampman blossomed into one of the league’s best pass rushers soon thereafter. From 2005-2008, he recorded 43.5 sacks, one of the top totals in the league for that span of time. He was equally strong playing the run, making him perhaps the NFL’s best all-around end for awhile there (he earned two Pro Bowl berths, as well). His experiment at outside linebacker in the 3-4 played to mixed results, to say the least, and there’s a good chance Kampman’s time in Green Bay is over. Decade stats: 112 games, 320 tackles, 54 sacks, 11 forced fumbles

Defensive end: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (2000-2008). The man with the wild name (shortened to, simply, KGB by most fans) brought a pass-rushing ability equally as crazy. Never the largest defensive end at just 255 pounds, KGB was blessed with a rare combination of speed and moves that allowed him to wreak havoc on oppposing tackles. From 2001-2004, KGB recorded 49 sacks (and went to the Pro Bowl in 2003). He was never quite the same after the team tried turning him into an every-down end (a foolish move, if there ever was one), but he still managed some solid seasons and ultimately finished as the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks. Decade stats: 124 games, 220 tackles, 74.5 sacks, 17 forced fumbles

Defensive tackle: Ryan Pickett (2006-Present). Pickett (or “Big Pick”, as I like to call him) was Thompson’s first big-time free agent signing back in 2006. Pretty good move on that one as Pickett has been a big-time cog in Green Bay’s defensive line during his time there. Pickett provides most of his value in run support, tying up blockers so other players are free. He’s provided extra value in that he’s almost always willing to play through injuries with little drop-off in performance. He also proved the doubters wrong by being more than able to hold up as a two-gap nose tackle in the 3-4. Hopefully that extension gets done soon so we can have him around awhile more. Decade stats: 58 games, 109 tackles, 2.5 sacks

Defensive tackle: Grady Jackson (2003-2005). His time as a Packer was oh-so-short, but while he was one, Jackson was pretty damn valuable. His massive size (listed at 345 pounds, but likely a burger away from 355) provided Green Bay with a player who almost always had to be double-teamed (pity the team who didn’t). The Packers were extremely tough to run on when Jackson was in the lineup. Jackson was also a fairly good pass-rusher. Would have been nice to see him stick around a little longer, but it was fun while it lasted. Decade stats: 34 games, 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles

Outside linebacker: Nate Wayne (2000-2002). Wayne, like Jackson, wasn’t in Green Bay for long. But also like Jackson, Wayne was good while he was there. While Wayne made his living playing under the lights in primetime games, he was also pretty good in plain ol’ regular games. Wayne was a do-everything linebacker. He led the team in tackles in 2002 and finished second in 2000, but he could also rush the passer and hold his own in coverage. Often forgotten by many fans, Wayne was perhaps the best outside linebacker the team had for the decade. Decade stats: 44 games, 204 tackles, 10 sacks, six interceptions, five fumbles recovered

Outside linebacker: A.J. Hawk (2006-Present). Hawk’s inclusion on this list speaks more to the team’s true lack of talent at the position for the past 10 years than it does for his actual play (but hey, I had to put someone here, right?). The flaws in his game are well-documented, but there have been some moments where Hawk has shown why he was the fifth pick of the 2006 draft, whether it’s stuffing a runner behind the line or making a nice play in coverage. If only he could do it more. Decade stats: 63 games, 294 tackles, 8.5 sacks, five interceptions

Middle linebacker: Nick Barnett (2003-Present). Okay, so he jumped the wrong route on fourth-and-26. Forget all that. Instead, focus on the fact that Barnett has consistently been a strong (if never truly great) presence at the position ever since his arrival. A true sideline-to-sideline ‘backer, Barnett can make plays at almost any point within the first two levels of defense. He is the unquestioned leader of the defense, providing a fiery inspiration that was sometimes lacking on the unit. Has never been to a Pro Bowl, but was flat-out robbed of a spot in 2007 (102 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions). Holds numerous team records already, including most tackles in a season (194 in 2005) and most seasons leading the team in tackles (five). Should be around for quite some time to come. Decade stats: 103 games, 559 tackles, 15.5 sacks, nine interceptions

Cornerback: Al Harris (2003-Present). Mike Sherman didn’t make many good moves as a general manager, but trading a second-round pick for Harris in 2003 was certainly one of them. From day one in Green Bay, Harris has been a top-flight corner (Chad Ochocinco once said Harris was maybe the best in the league, for example). Sure, he’s struggled in some big games, but the rest of the time, he’s been pretty damn outstanding. A physical, bump-and-run specialist, Harris was great at throwing some of the best in the league off their game (also earning him two Pro Bowl berths). His dreads and flair for the dramatic (I’ll take “Wild Card Games Against Seattle in 2004, Alex”) have made him a fan favorite. Don’t fret too much about his ACL injury, fans – he’ll be back. Decade stats: 102 games, 269 tackles, 14 interceptions, four sacks, two defensive touchdowns

Cornerback: Charles Woodson (2006-Present). Following the 2005 season, Woodson wanted to play anywhere but Green Bay. The Packers were the only team willing to make him a legitimate offer, though, so he begrudgingly came on board. Worked out well, I’d say. Woodson has turned into an elite defensive player since arriving in Green Bay (and he was pretty good before he got there). Zone. Bump-and-run. It doesn’t matter to Woodson. After spending three years terrorizing quarterbacks in the old 4-3 scheme, Woodson put up his “Sgt. Pepper’s” year in 2009 playing out of the new 3-4 set. The rest of the league took notice as Woodson was voted 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, capping off quite a transformation as the guy who didn’t want to be a Packer became a massive fan favorite. Decade stats: 62 games, 223 tackles, 28 interceptions, six sacks, nine forced fumbles, seven defensive touchdowns

Strong safety: Atari Bigby (2005-Present). Remember what I said about Hawk? Well, same goes for Bigby as he makes this list almost by default (what, you thought I’d put Mark Roman on here?). That is not to say Bigby’s a bad player. He’s certainly had his moments of greatness (the entire 2007 season, for example). He’s a tremendously hard hitter who can be pretty good in coverage when his head is on straight. Injuries have been his major downfall. Will likely get one more shot to prove his worth and there’s at least a chance he’ll do it. Decade stats: 42 games, 121 tackles, 10 interceptions, three forced fumbles

Free safety: Darren Sharper (2000-2004). The “Sharper vs. Nick Collins” decision was one of the toughest I had in putting together this team. Ultimately, I went with Sharper because his numbers were bigger and his impact was more consistent. Time makes us forget things and I had definitely forgotten just how great Sharper was as a Packer. He was amazingly intelligent in coverage in terms of figuring out where the ball was going. From there, he let his athleticism take over in order to close quickly and make the play. He earned two Pro Bowl spots (and one All-Pro spot) during his time in Green Bay. His large salary and a focus on rebuilding led to his release after 2004. Sharper’s kept his play up and we’ll all see him on the big stage come Sunday. Decade stats: 75 games, 324 tackles, 31 interceptions, five sacks,five forced fumbles, three defensive touchdowns

Again, check back later today for part three.

-Chris Lempesis

Kampman suffered a concussion against Tampa Bay and sat out the Dallas game.

Now that he’s healthy again, it sounds like he’s re-claimed his starting spot at LOLB. According to that same link, Brad Jones apparently rotated in at [...]]]> The Green Bay Packers returned to practice Wednesday. They did so with Aaron Kampman back in the lineup.

Kampman suffered a concussion against Tampa Bay and sat out the Dallas game.

Now that he’s healthy again, it sounds like he’s re-claimed his starting spot at LOLB. According to that same link, Brad Jones apparently rotated in at times during practice, so it looks like the Packers could have a platoon-like situation in store for the pair.

To some, this would seem to create a fairly big problem going forward. To me, it’s a no-brainer what the Packers should do.

Jones should get the starting nod.

He was very solid against the Cowboys. Not against the Bucs or the Lions or the Browns – the Cowboys. His performance becomes even more impressive when you consider it was his first career start – and the fact that he was a seventh-round pick in THIS YEAR’S draft.

He also played the same position at Colorado, so he has a natural feel for what he’s doing. In other words, pretty much the exact opposite of Kampman.

I have a ton of respect for Kampman and I still think he’s one of the best defensive ends in the game – in a 4-3 scheme, that is. But we have to admit this experiment is not working. It’s not an accident that this defense gave its best performance of the season without Kampman in the lineup. Dom Capers blitzed roughly 11 percent more of the time – roughly 51 percent of the time as opposed to roughly 40 percent of the time during the first eight games – as it was clear he no longer had to worry about covering for Kampman.

Square peg. Round hole. You know the cliche.

Kampman should become a situational player. Have him rush with his hand on the ground in nickel situations and occasionally bring him in at LOLB when it’s clear the opposing offense is in a passing situation.

He’d be an expensive situational player, for sure, but that would be the best way to maximize his skills. It will keep him fresh and mentally focused on doing what he excels at.

There’s also some precedent here, namely in the form of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.

After signing a seven-year, $37.3 million extension in 2003 – one of the worst moves Mike Sherman ever made, and that’s saying something – KGB had a couple of good seasons before the Packers watched for years as KGB’s impact dwindled as a result of being forced to be an every down defender. That was a role he never should have played. He needed to be a pass rush specialist.

In 2007, Mike McCarthy and then d-coordinator Bob Sanders made the decision to let KGB do what he did best. The result was 9.5 sacks and the best season KGB had had in quite some time.

They need to do that again with Kampman. Look, let’s be honest: This is likely Kampman’s last year in Green Bay, anyways. He won’t sign an extension if the team sticks with the 3-4. And after all that’s been invested in switching over, I really don’t see the scheme going back to a 4-3. Even if the Packers switch back, Kampman’s frustrations with the organization might cause him to look elsewhere.

The result of all this? With 2010 almost guaranteed to be uncapped, players such as Nick Collins (likely the target of the franchise tag if there was a cap) will become restricted free agents. The team won’t use the tag on him now. Instead, the Packers will probably use the tag on Kampman, so they can then trade him – hopefully far away into the AFC – for some value.

To maximize his trade value, Green Bay needs to get his numbers up. The best way to do that is to use him sparingly. That will also help the defense in a potentially major way this season.

Everybody, including Kampman, wins in this situation.

-Chris Lempesis