Packerholic

Here are the players that I think will make the most difference on Monday nights game vs the Vikings:

1) Aaron Rodgers-Well this is a pretty obvious pick. This will be the first game that the Packers have started a quarterback without the last name of Favre in almost two decades. Obviously the pressure will be on Rodger’s back since everyone will compare his performance to Favre’s in New York. I think Rodgers just needs to take what the defense gives him. Rodgers can’t make stupid throws like Favre did in the past. If he takes what he is given he will be fine and the packers will probably win the game. The fans also need to support Rodgers since if they start booing him we might as well kiss the game goodbye since his confidence will be shot for the game. If Rodgers is given enough time in the pocket and he makes good choices with the football I think it will be hard for the Vikings to win this football game. I think the Rodgers era will begin on a high note on Monday night.

2) Jason Spitz, Daryn Colledge, Tony Moll-While this is actually three players they need to play like one on Monday night or we could be in a lot of trouble. The Packers have had trouble on the line all preseason but this cannot happen on Monday or we will have little to no chance of winning the game. I think the Packers will be fine on the ends with Tauscher and Clifton but I am really worrying about inside. It appears at this time that Scott Wells won’t be able to go so Spitz will get the start at center with Colledge and Moll at the guards. The interior offensive line has their work cut out for them since they will face one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the entire league. If these three can contain the Williams brothers I think the Packers have a great shot at winning the game.

3) Ryan Pickett-The picture to the right says it all. Ryan Pickett is going to have to be a force to improve the Packers chance of winning the game. The Vikings are a very good running team and the Packers run defense has been far from great so far this preseason. Ryan Pickett has also missed all of preseason so that is a big part of the struggles in my opinion. While Pickett never gets the credit I think he is one of our most important players on the whole defense. Pickett is a force to be dealt with. He constantly demands a double team which opens up the other defensive tackle. He is also a run stuffing machine which will be crucial while facing the Vikings. If we can’t get any push up the middle the running game will tear the Packers defense apart and the Packers have a very slim chance of winning this game.

4) Adrian Peterson-Since he is the Vikings biggest player it is pretty obvious that Adrian Peterson is one of the key players in the game. I think the Vikings offense will truly hinge on how Adrian Peterson plays. If Adrian Peterson has a good game I could see the Vikings tear the Packers defense apart. If Peterson has an average to bad game I could see the Packers defense crush the Vikings offense. Peterson is so important to the Vikings offense since he pretty much opens up everything else. If Peterson plays well teams focus on the run and the Vikings are able to pass. If teams aren’t focused on the run though I think the Vikings pedestrian passing offense won’t be able to move the chains. I think the Vikings success on offense exclusively hinges on Peterson’s play.

5) Pat Williams, and Kevin Williams-As I already mentioned the players that worry me the most on the Vikings defense are Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. While I don’t like to admit this, they are two of the best defensive tackles in the league. They are a force up the middle. If they play well they could stuff the run and put a lot of pressure on Rodgers. The Packers will try to avoid them by bootlegging and running to the outside. If the Williams struggle though I think the Packers will be able to move the ball at will and will tear the Vikings to pieces. While some people might worry about Jared Allen I personally aren’t worried since I think Tauscher and Clifton will have no trouble containing him.

So what do you think of this new feature for the season? Do you like it or do you think my time would be better spent elsewhere? Also who do you think are the key players in the Vikings vs. Packers game.

News coming out of camp regarding the offensive line is not very positive. According to the Green Bay Press Gazette Sitton will likely miss a month with his injury. This is not a positive in my opinion. The Packers were about to finally developing some chemistry amoungst the offensive line and now we have to start over again with a new line. With Wells possibly being out as well the Packers could be in some serious trouble.

If Wells stays out it appears that Spitz will play center while Colledge and Moll play the guard spots. Now I want to know why in the world is Moll starting over Barbre. What does the coaching staff have against Barbre. In my opinion he has looked pretty good and the coaches were raving about him heading into training camp. Since training camp has begun they have pretty much given him absolutely no shot at winning the starting spot. First there was Colledge. Then there was Sitton. Now there is Moll. I seriously want to know what Barbre did to not even deserve a chance at the starting spot. He must have insulted one of the coaches since that is the only thing that explains what is happening. The coaches have kept saying that Barbre is still in competition for one of the starting jobs but I will believe it when I see it. I am not saying that Barbre should for sure be the starter but I have no idea why he isn’t even given a chance.

With the mess at offensive line I hope we can sort it out quickly and get Sitton and Wells back soon. Wells appears pretty likely to be able to start the opener which is a good thing since then we can at least start the sam offensive line we had last season (Spitz and Colledge). If Wells misses extended time we are in a lot of trouble this season.

Hopefully we can sort this offensive line mess out soon or we will be crushed in Minnesota since I don’t think it is a good idea to have a huge mess in the middle of your offensive line when the opponent has the best DT tandem in the league. We better sort this situation out soon or we could be in for a very long season.

So are you worried about the offensive line situation or do you think we will be fine this season?