Last season, we ran a “Training Camp Stew” series in which we gave our thoughts on the most interesting bits from the practices. The thinking, as of now, [...]]]> So, training camp is officially underway – thank the Lord - and the Green Bay Packers have a few practices already under their collective belt (no real injuries yet – whew).

Last season, we ran a “Training Camp Stew” series in which we gave our thoughts on the most interesting bits from the practices. The thinking, as of now, is that that series will return. I want the Packers to get a couple more practices in the books before I start that, though, so I don’t have to overreact to the results of a few sessions.

That being the case, I’ve decided to write a counterpoint post to something I did 11 days ago. In that post,  I talked about some under-the-radar things that could bring the 2010 Packers down.

Today, I’m going to list some things that could potentially give the team an extra boost. As always, I’l spare you the “Team stays healthy” storyline. Barf.

In no particular order:

• A legitimate pass-catching threat emerges from the running backs

Last season, the Packers backfield (running backs and fullbacks) totaled just 65 catches for 513 yards (7.8 average) and three touchdowns. That might not sound awful at first glance, but when you look at it this way, the struggles become clearer: Every week the backs were averaging roughly four catches for 32 yards. Not good enough.

(The New Orleans Saints’ backs, by comparison: 107 receptions, 781 yards (7.3 average, albeit lower than Green Bay’s) and seven touchdowns.)

You could argue the Saints feature backs more prominently than the Packers do, but you’d only be half-right. Head coach Mike McCarthy clearly wants to involve the backs in the passing game; he just hasn’t found someone to go to like Sean Peyton has.

If he can do so this season, it’d provide a massive boost to an already lethal offense. So, who could that player be? 

It won’t be a fullback. I’m certain of that. I doubt it’s Ryan Grant – he’s more of a pure runner and, honestly, if he could be that threat, he’d have done so by now. Brandon Jackson? Perhaps – he’s certainly shifty and able to work his way through a defense, at times. But he’s more of an occasional pass-catcher and his real value comes from his skills as a blitz-buster.

James Starks, the team’s sixth-round pick? Yeah, now we’re talking.

In his last full season of college ball – 2008 – Starks caught 52 balls for 361 yards. He’s still recovering from the shoulder injury that cost him all of 2009, but once he returns, he should be the guy. Clearly he’s got the skills in that area and, with Grant handling the bulk of the handoffs, Starks can really focus on honing his pass-catching. 

With the Packers already loaded at receiver/tight end, Starks – or whoever steps up – wouldn’t have to be a gamebreaker, per se, just someone defenses needed to account for (opponents simply did not worry about this element of the Pack’s offense last season).

• A pair of inside linebackers make themselves known

A.J. Hawk and Brandon Chillar are both decent players. Perhaps not outstanding – but definitely decent. There’s certainly worse, anyways.

But “outstanding” needs to be associated with the pair more this season. It’s as simple as that.

It’s year five for Hawk now. Many seem to have just accepted the fact that Hawk is who he is - not terrible, but certainly not great. I’m not willing to accept that. Hopes were through-the-roof for him as the No. 5 pick of the 2006 draft. He’s, well, been a letdown, hasn’t he? He records tackles, but many of them are downfield (that is, when he’s not taking poor angles or playing too high). And he brings almost nothing to the table as a playmaker (two interceptions, one sack and one forced fumble last season). 

He’s making $4.1 million this season – he needs to play like that type of big-money guy. Remember, his salary for next season is $10 million and there’s no way he’s coming back – even at a greatly reduced rate – unless he has a monster season. No more excuses, A.J. It’s time.

Chillar, unlike Hawk, actually shows flashes of being a true playmaker, at times. He’s quick and possesses great athleticism. He just needs to show these things more often. He was hurt for a portion of last season, so I’ll give him a pass somewhat. But he still played in 12 games and didn’t do a whole lot (just two sacks and 29 total tackles). What’s worse was that he was not very good in coverage, usually his strong suit. And, like Hawk, he’s a big-money guy, too, signing a four-year, $21 million extension last December.

The biggest thing both need to do is bring an improved presence on the inside pass rush. Nick Barnett is good in that department, but the team needs someone to compliment him. That would greatly decrease the pressure on the OLBs, even Clay Matthews. If these two can step it up a notch, Dom Capers’ defense could take a major step forward in year two of the 3-4.

• When you’re playing the best, remember the odd-numbered quarters

While researching this piece, I decided to study how the Packers did when they played the best-of-the-best (i.e., other 2009 playoff teams).

In six games – sorry, I’m not counting the first Arizona game as the Cards simply did not care about that one – against Cincinnati, Minnesota (2), Baltimore, Dallas and the playoff loss to Arizona, Green Bay owned the second-and-fourth quarters, outscoring those opponents by a 104-78 count.

In the first-and-third quarters, though? The Pack were outpaced on the scoreboard, 87-58. In other words, this team didn’t start games well and it didn’t come out of the break well against top-notch opponents.

The fact that Green Bay was able to bounce back after such deficits shows resiliency – a major positive and a sign of a young-and-hungry group. But the early deficits are also a sign of a young team, and if the Packers are going to take the next step towards greatness, they simply need to do better in these stretches of games. There’s a mentality a team needs to have in order to do so, which brings me to my final point…

• Develop a “Next” mindset

In “The Genius,” David Harris’ excellent book about legendary San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, former Niner Randy Cross talked about a “Next” mentality developed by the 1984 San Fran team. Quoting Cross from the book:

“We knew we were better and whoever we were playing knew we were better, too. It was just a matter of how much we were going to win by and who was next in line to lose to us.”

That team went 18-1 and crushed the Miami Dolphins, 38-16, to win Super Bowl XIX, by the way.

I’m not suggesting the Packers could rack up a similar record. But I am saying that we’ve heard over-and-over about how this team truly believes it can win it all this season. Barnett went so far as to say it’s “Super Bowl or die” for the 2010 Packers. That’s nice – really, it is.

But don’t just tell us that. Show us. And show everyone in your path, too.

Play with that type of mindset. Make your opponent feel like they’re in for an all-day beating before the game has even started. The great teams are able to do this week-in and week-out. Not the up-and-coming teams full of youngsters – the great teams, full of established vets.

The Packers claim they’re ready to be this type of team. If that’s the case, playing with a “Next” mentality should be no problem at all.

-Chris Lempesis

The Who Dat? Nation has finally reached the top of the mountain.

They did so as the New Orleans Saints pulled off a dramatic 31-17 upset of the Indianapolis [...]]]> (Before we begin: I wasn’t going to write a recap of this game at first. Then I realized that we’re roughly nine months away from the next meaningful NFL game. That changed my mind.)

The Who Dat? Nation has finally reached the top of the mountain.

They did so as the New Orleans Saints pulled off a dramatic 31-17 upset of the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday night in Miami.

Since plenty of other commentators have weighed in on what this means, not just to the Saints but to the city of New Orleans as a whole, I’m going to focus strictly on the game itself. There’s plenty of enough to talk about there, anyways.

The Saints’ turnaround from “Aints” to champions was keyed by two people – head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees – and it’s really no surprise those two were the reasons the Saints were victorious Sunday.

(Just a quick, completely uncalled for reminder: Vikings’ fans STILL have no idea what this feels like)

Payton rebounded from his conservative approach in the NFC title game two weeks ago on Sunday with a masterfully aggressive gameplan. It wasn’t always smart and it didn’t always work – the decision to go for it on fourth-and-goal late in the second quarter was baffling, to say the least – but by being aggressive, he showed his team he had confidence in them at every single turn. In sports, that stuff matters.

It certainly mattered on the opening kickoff of the second half.

Payton and Co. shocked the nation by going for an onside kick. After a lengthy pile-up (which had to have been the craziest pile ever), the Saints came away with not only the ball, but the momentum. And when Brees led the offense down for a score – giving the Saints a 13-10 lead – it was official that, no matter what Indianapolis did to counter that, the Colts would be behind the cliched eight-ball the rest of the way.

In the biggest games of your life, you turn it loose. Payton did just that.

Of course, it’s easy to turn it loose when you have a signal-caller like Brees.

As Adam said in giving his prediction, New Orleans’ hopes would rest on Brees’ shoulders. By going 32-of-39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns (no interceptions), Brees showed he was more than up to the task, turning in the closest thing a quarterback can to a perfect game. Playing behind a dominant offensive line (seriously, was he pressured more than a handful of times?), the game’s MVP found every single open patch in Indianapolis’ Cover 2 defense. He spread the ball around to eight different receivers and showed that, if anyone doubts he should be considered the game’s best quarterback, they should doubt no more.

Payton and Brees have become the league’s elite coach-quarterback combo. When you have that, more often that not, you’re going to be the best.

The Saints were Sunday. And it’s absolutely deserved.

Other random thoughts on the Super Bowl

• Peyton Manning had his chance to become the best quarterback ever in this one and he blew it. Sure, he completed over 66 percent of his passes for 333 yards, but it was a very non-discript 333 yards. And with the game hanging the balance, Manning made a terrible throw to Reggie Wayne that Tracy Porter (officially my favorite non-Packer) picked and took to the house for the game-clinching score. Manning is still top 10, but he’s nowhere close to where he could have been (plus, Brees has surpassed him as the best in the game today). Somewhere, Joe Montana is smiling. His status as the best ever is safe.
• I tried to tell you The Who should be stopped. If you doubted me then, you can’t now after watching their abysmal halftime performance. They just can’t get it done anymore. Can we officially declare the 1960s are over, for God’s sake? Can the NFL get a band that actually, you know, appeals to its target demograpic (me, for example)? How about Pearl Jam? Or Kings of Leon, maybe? Why does the halftime show always have to be classic rock radio?
• Sort of a down year for the commercials. That said, I had two favorites (for different reasons). The funniest was the David Letterman/Oprah/Jay Leno promo for Letterman’s show. Hilarious. The best was the Megan Fox ad for…well, I don’t even know what it was for. Megan Fox in a tub? Yikes. Here’s how you know it made an impact. Adam and I were having a conversation. We stopped when the commercial came on. When it was over, I said, “What were we talking about?” He stared blankly at me before responding, “I can’t remember.” That’s the effect Fox has on men. I doubt we were the only guys experiencing this.
• I love, love, love that Boomer Esiason and Dan Marino were the two former quarterbacks-turned analysts for CBS’ halftime show. Two guys who know a little something about Super Bowl-winning quarterbacking right there. They know as much as you and I do about that.
• Esiason had another gem, too, when talking about Brees holding his recently-born son on the field after the game was over. Esiason: “It’s really a great moment between a father and son.” He said it as though every father and son experiences that. Yeah, I remember when my dad and I did that after he won it back in ‘81. We talk about it all the time. And, again, what would YOU know about that anyways, Boomer?
• Next year, the Super Bowl is in Dallas. How ’bout the Pack goes down there and wins it, shoving it right in Jerry Jones’ cosmetically-altered face? How fun would that be? Just saying…

-Chris Lempesis

Soon, there will be no more hype. No more injury reports. No more analysis. No more rumors of some band claiming to call themselves The Who playing the halftime show.

Seriously, fellas, you need to stop. You’re killing all of us.

Soon, Super Bowl XLIV will be upon us, with the Indianapolis Colts [...]]]> At last, it’s almost here.

Soon, there will be no more hype. No more injury reports. No more analysis. No more rumors of some band claiming to call themselves The Who playing the halftime show.

Seriously, fellas, you need to stop. You’re killing all of us.

Soon, Super Bowl XLIV will be upon us, with the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints battling it out to determine the world champions. But, since it’s not quite time yet, I figured I’d weigh in with my thoughts on the game. There’s a good chance Adam and Gene will give their respective thoughts and predictions rather shortly, so make sure to check back for those.

(Quick aside: You might have noticed that I stopped doing the weekly “Breaking down…” posts right after the week of the Cowboys game, way back in mid-November. The reason for that was simple: The Packers were on a winning streak. And you don’t you-know-what with a winning streak. Like I’ve said before, I’m superstitious to an astounding degree.)

Since pretty much everyone on the planet is picking the Colts – currently a five-point favorite the last time I checked – I’m going to use this post to try and answer a simple question: How do the Saints go about winning Sunday?

When I really looked at it, I came up with the following five things (my prediction for the game will follow):

1. Blitz Peyton Manning sparingly, if at all. Yes, yes – I know this goes against the standard football logic that says you have to pressure a great quarterback if you want to throw him off his game. But with the way Manning’s playing, you have to throw that logic out the window. Instead, the Saints need to take a page out of – brace yourselves – Bob Sanders’ playbook. Shocking, I know, but remember what Sanders did against Manning last season while he was still defensive coordinator of the Packers? He did what he always did: Swept four and dropped seven into coverage (with very little blitzing). It worked perfectly as Manning was never quite comfortable with all those defenders roaming in the secondary. Manning finished just 21-of-42 for 229 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions as Green Bay romped to a 34-14 win. With his lightening-fast delivery and knowledge of every blitz possible, Manning leaves you almost no chance to sack him, anyways. So you have to play the odds and throw as many bodies into coverage as you can and just hope someone makes a play. With players like Darren Sharper in their secondary, the Saints could do it.
2. Get physical with the receivers – very physical. Obviously, the Colts have a very good offense. But theirs is a finesse offense (as is the case with almost every dome team). This is especially true with regards to their receivers. Again, they’re very good, but I don’t see much physicality in that group. So you jam them, you press them – hell, you flat-out grab them off-the-snap if you have to. You might draw a penalty, yes, but you will also begin to frustrate them. That, in tune, will frustrate Manning (believe it or not, I still think that’s possible). The Colts are not necessarily a vertical offense; they rely heavily on short-and-intermediate stuff. Being physical with the pass-catchers cuts down on the timing you need to run those routes.
3. Do not let the Colts run the ball early on. This one’s simple: If the Colts can run early, Manning can playaction frequently. If that happens, game over.
4. Sean Payton: Don’t forget what got you here. Like everyone else, I was stunned at how conservative Payton became during the course of the NFC Championship Game. He took the ball out of Drew Brees’ hands and decided the Saints were going to become a ball-control offense. That’s not how the Saints won 13 games in the regular season and it almost caused them to lose to the Vikings. Get back to what you to best. Put Brees in the shotgun and let him wing it all over the yard. You’re going to need at least 35 points to win this one, Sean, and running on first-and-second down won’t do that for you.
5. Make Reggie Bush the focal point of your offense, especially early. With just nine total offensive touches for 41 yards (and a score), Bush was a glaring non-factor in the Vikings’ game. That can’t happen again Sunday. We can talk all we want about how Bush just hasn’t been the pro we all thought he’d be, but the fact remains: When he makes plays, the whole team is lifted (and opponents get the wind kicked out of them). He can break the game open Sunday, but he’ll need the ball way more than nine times for that to happen. The Saints should be aiming more for the 15-20 touch range and if that happens, you can almost guarantee Bush will break something.

Prediction

Unlike a lot of people, I really believe the Saints have a shot to win this one. After all, their offense is no shrinking violet and their defense, while certainly not great, can produce turnovers at key moments (see: the end of regulation in the Vikings’ game). With the way the Colts are playing, that might just be the only formula you can beat them with: Score, score, score and just hope for a turnover at some point. The Jets tried a gameplan based around running and defense and it worked – for less than a half. The Saints have to be thinking shootout. The only problem there is…

You’re getting into a shootout with, arguably, the greatest quarterback ever – which I think Manning becomes with a win Sunday – playing the best ball of his career. Everytime I look at this game, that’s all I keep coming back to: He’s one win away from possibly being the best ever. How does he let that moment pass him by? Sure, he’s had some playoff stinkers in the past, but he’s just so close now. And when the great ones are that close, they usually don’t slip up.

And Manning won’t slip Sunday.

Prediction: Indianapolis Colts 38, New Orleans Saints 31

-Chris Lempesis