Packerholic

How the Packers have been playing this year no one should have been expecting much as far as Pro Bowlers. Despite this fact I am disappointed that the Packers only had two Pro Bowlers. If you haven’t heard, Charles Woodson and Nick Collins are the Packers two Pro Bowlers. For a full list check out NFL.com.

As far as the Charles Woodson selection I have to say about time. After being jipped out for his first two seasons with the Packers Charles Woodson finally gets to return to the Pro Bowl. I guess it only took 5 INTs and 2 TDs. It’s about time he gets what he deserves since he was one of the only bright spots in this disappointing season.

As far as the Nick Collins selection I have to say that he deserved the selection based on his early season play but if it was based on his recent play I wouldn’t even consider him for the Pro Bowl. I don’t know what has happened but Nick Collin’s play has really dropped off recently after having a breakout season earlier in the season. I guess it doesn’t hurt that the NFC has no really good safeties since if I remember correctly a certain Roy Williams made the Pro Bowl last season after being benched during the season.

While I am happy for Charles Woodson and Nick Collins, I am upset for a couple players.

First the most obvious snub was Greg Jennings. He is the first alternative but he should have made the Pro Bowl. I think Greg Jennings should have replaced Roddy White or Steve Smith. I personally would take two extra TDs in exchange for 150 and 90 yards respectively. TDs are more important than yards and Jennings has played better in my opinion. I also want to know why only four receivers make the Pro Bowl team.

Even though Greg Jennings was ripped off by not making the team, it could be a good thing for the team. For some reason Pro Bowl’s are big for contract negotiations even though I think the Pro Bowl had pretty much become a joke. Since jennings didn’t make the Pro Bowl this season it might make it easier to sign him either this offseason or during next season.

The second snub in my opinion is Aaron Rodgers. I know people won’t agree with me on this one but I think Aaron Rodgers deserves to make the Pro Bowl. Aaron Rodgers has had some struggles this season but what do you expect from a first year starter who has the most weight on his shoulders of any player in the entire league. Combine that with the fact that Rodgers is better in every statistical category (except INTs) than Eli Manning and you know why I think Rodgers was snubbed. To be more specific Rodgers has 500 more yards, 3 more TDs, a 5 point higher QB rating, and a 3% higher completion percentage. Rodgers was also doing this with a team with one of the worst offensive lines in football and the most inconsistent running game as well. I guess it helps when you play for a big market team like the Giants. While Rodgers hasn’t won as many games as the other QBs I think you have to look at the supporting cast and realize Rodgers has played on par with the other Pro Bowlers with much less talent around him. If Rodgers improves next season and still doesn’t make the Pro Bowl

Finally I think Aaron Kampman was snubbed. While he hasn’t had as good of seasons as he has had in the past, you need to look at the talent around him. Kampman is getting no help whatsoever from the rest of the defensive line and yet he is still having a great season. I guess the Pro Bowl isn’t based on how well a player has played based on the talent around them. They obviously don’t base it on stats either since Jennings and Rodgers should have both made it then. I guess the choices are based on if you are a big name or not. This is why the Pro Bowl has become a joke. The Pro Bowl is supposed to showcase the best NFL players and instead it showcases the most famous football players.

I have been pretty bitter in this post and I think rightfully so. But as my closing remarks congratulations to Nick Collins and Charles Woodson on their Pro Bowl nominations.

Aaron Rodgers vs. Lions Defense

Although Rodgers already proved himself last week, Rodgers needs another good performance to gain everyone’s respect. Next week will be a very big week for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers. He can’t struggle this week and then have to face the Cowboys with all the pressure on his back again. Rodgers needs to play well against the Lions since we obviously want to win and he needs to continue to build confidence throughout the season. While the Lions secondary is pretty weak the Packers can’t underestimate them. The Packers need to get out to a quick lead and put the Lions away quickly. The Lions fell behind early last week and they started to tear each other apart. If the Packers get out to an early lead, I can’t see the Lions coming back to win the game.

Charles Woodson and Al Harris vs Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson

While most people might not think highly of the Lions offense the Packers can’t underestimate them. The Lions do have a very dangerous passing game if they re given the chance to get on a role. Roy Williams has already shown that he is a very good receiver and most people think Calvin Johnson will have a big season. They are also both big physical receivers which the Packers have had troubles covering in the past. Al Harris and Charles Woodson will have their work cut out for them. If the Packers get on a quick lead I think their job will be easier but they will need to be on the top of their game for the entire game since the Lions could easily catch up as they showed against the Falcons (they still lost by quite a bit but they did make the game closer than it should have been).

Packers Offensive Line vs. Referees

While this kind of a joke, it is quite serious at the same time. The Packers’ offensive line really needs to get into shape. They cannot under any circumstances have as many penalties as they did against the Vikings. We shot ourselves in the foot time after time and we just can’t keep doing it. While it might not lose us the game this week it will definently cost us the game against the Cowboys unless we fix these problems and quickly. It’s hard enough winning a game without hurting yourself. Hopefully Mike McCarthy drilled this into the offensive lineman’s heads this week so we won’t have a repeat performance of Monday night.