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After getting most of last week off the Packers returned to practice today. While it is unknown at this point who will be be held out of Sunday’s game due to injury, there is some encouraging news if you just look at the players that were finally able to practice. Al Harris, James Jones, Atari Bigby, and Michael Montgommery were able to practice. While there is no guarentee that all of them will play this week, it is at least encouraging that they are finally able to practice. I think the Packers will see a big improvement right off the bat if Bigby, Harris, and Jones are able to play. Two notable players who didn’t practice were Aaron Rodgers and Charles Woodson. Neither are really a huge surprise since I am guessing McCarthy wants them both fresh for Sunday. Both have shown in the past couple of weeks that they can miss practice and still be at the top of their games so I wouldn’t worry much.

Remember in the offseason that Johnny Jolly was arrested. While the story was pretty big it ended up fading into nothing. I was wondering what in the world was happening with the case since I hadn’t heard anything about it since training camp. I actually even thought the charges might have been dropped. Obviously I was wrong. Johnny Jolly actually has a court appearance tomorrow. I don’t know what part of the trial he is in but if he is sentenced in this hearing we could be losing Jolly for some time. Hopefully his sentence is small enough that he won’t face league suspension since the Packers could really use his services.

Finally our friends in Minnesota are probably starting to worry especially if the latest rumors are true. Supposedly both Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are both facing a league suspension for using a banned substance. If they get the suspension this will be a huge blow for the Vikings since the two Williams are probably the Vikings best playmakers. Hopefully if they are suspended they miss the Packer game since it will be much easier to beat the Vikings if both Williams are out.

Okay I know it is technically not midseason. Even though it isn’t midseason I decided to review the season since sadly there is no Packer game to watch today. While things haven’t been perfect so far, I think the rest of the season looks pretty bright. The Packers started the season off pretty good and then hit a snag. The Packers have rebounded though and have gone on a two game winning streak.

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers-Aaron Rodgers has shown why McCarthy had so much confidence in him starting. I am not going to get into a debate whether we would be better off with Favre since we will never know and I don’t really see the point debating. I will give Rodgers the credit he deserves. While he might not be as flashy as Favre he has been a great game manager. Rodgers rarely makes mistakes which is a huge plus for this team. He has also shown that he has toughness since he has played the last 3 games with a shoulder injury and has yet had great games in all three games. I believe the Packers just achieved something that is very rare in the NFL. They have successfully transitioned from a QB legend to another great QB. A

Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm-Neither have really been able to play and that is a good thing. Both have shown that they are rookie quarterbacks. At this point I wouldn’t trust either if they had to step in for a game. While I don’t have trust in them right now I do have faith that they will continue to grow (Rodgers was pretty bad in his first season as well) and at least one of them will be a good NFL QB. D

Running Back

Ryan Grant-So far this season Ryan Grant has been a disappointment. After missing all of training camp with his holdout and injury, Ryan Grant has not had a great season so far. He is just not playing up to his potential. Hopefully he is just having a hard time getting back into playing shape and in sync with his blockers. Otherwise I fear that he was a one year fluke. I am going to give Grant the benefit of the doubt especially since the running game has improved every game. Hopefully after the bye we can get back to how we ran the ball last season. C+

Brandon Jackson-I have actually been pretty impressed with Jackson this season. The problem is that the Packers rarely use him. Jackson has shown he has a motor and will fight for every extra yard. Since Grant has been back he has been rarely given the ball though. The Packers really need to give Jackson some more carries in order to give Grant so rest and also give the opposing defense a change of pace from the RB position. C+

Fullback

Korey Hall-I actually thought switching Korey Hall from a linebacker to a fullback was a gimic when we drafted Korey Hall. I didn’t think a linebacker could become a fullback but I was wrong. I actually think Korey Hall is one of the most underrated fullbacks in the league. Hall has already become a good blocker and he has also helped with a couple catches out of the backfield. A testament to Korey Hall is that the running game started getting better as soon as he returned from injury. B

Wide Receiver

Greg Jennings-After last years breakout season I had high expectations for Greg Jennings this season. Greg Jennings has met and surpassed every single one of my expectations. While Greg Jennings might not get as much credit as your TO’s, there is not a receiver in this league that I would want over Jennings. This decision is based on his play on the field and also his attitude off the field. Unlike most elite receivers, Jennings isn’t a selfish jerk. I don’t think we will ever have to worry about him becomming a locker room distraction. If Greg Jennings somehow doesn’t make the Pro Bowl it will be a travesty. A+

Donald Driver-While his numbers are down a little this season, Driver has proved to be as reliable as ever. Driver is never afraid to take the big hit in order to make the catch. He moves the chains and actually has twice as many touchdowns this season as he did all last season. Driver’s drop in stats isn’t due to a drop off in play but the fact that Greg Jennings has surpassed him as the go to receiver. I think Donald Driver has a couple more good years left under his belt. A-

Jordy Nelson-Like most people during the draft I wondered if the Packers really needed another receiver. It turns out that the Packers actually did. With Ruvell Martin and James Jones battling injuries the whole season Jordy Nelson has had the opportunity to step up. While he hasn’t been amazing I think he has already shown that he could be a very good pocession receiver. I think Jordy Nelson has a bright future ahead of him. B

Ruvell Martin and James Jones-I don’t know if it is just me but I have been really disappointed by both of them. Neither have stayed healthy this season. Hopefully the bye week will finally let both of them get healthy so the five receiver set can finally make it’s debut. Our passing offense has been dominant this season. Just imagine what we can do when we get Martin and Jones back at 100%. C-

Tight End

Donald Lee-While his stats might not say it, I think Donald Lee is one of the better TE’s in the league. Lee’s problem is that we have so many weapons on offense that it is hard for him to get the ball. While he doesn’t get a lot of opportunities, he does step up when his number is called. B+

Tory Humphrey-So far this season Tory Humphrey has shown what he always has. He makes some greats plays and then is silent the rest of the time. Humphrey needs to develop more consistentcy if he wants to be anything more than a backup the rest of his career. C

Jermichael Finley-I have actually been pretty disappointed with Jermichael Finley so far this season. While I knew he was going to be a project, I never thought he would be this big of project. I think Finley will be fine and eventually could be a great TE but he needs time to develop. He is just not at the right level of play to contribute much at this point in time. C-

Offensive Line

Since I am far from an offensive line guru I will address the offensive line as a unit. At this point it is probably the weakest or second weakest unit on the team. I don’t know if it is just me but I wouldn’t mind if Thompson spent half of next years draft on the offensive line. I think the Packers have to also thin about switching their blocking scheme. The zone scheme is just not working. The pass blocking has improved the last couple of weeks but the run blocking is improving way too slowly. Tauscher and Clifton are also getting older and I doubt either have a lot of playing time left. This offseason Thompson has his work cut out for him regarding the offensive line. C-

Defensive Ends

Aaron Kampman-Aaron Kampman has had a pretty good season so far. I think he would be even having a better season if he actually got more help from the other defensive end. Kampman is being singled out since teams aren’t afraid of our other defensive ends. Despite this Kampman is still having a good season and if he picks up his a play a little more down the stretch I think he will make the Pro Bowl once again. B+

Cullen Jenkins-Of all the injuries this season, I think Cullen Jenkins’ might be the worst for the team. Jenkins was having a very good season and was showing the potential the Packers saw when they extended him. He also helped out the defensive tackle position which could use all the help it could get. Too bad Jenkinsis out for the rest of the season since I would not nearly be as worried about the defensive line if we still had him. B

KGB-KGB has fallen off the deep end this season. KGB is only a rotational player and yet he has essentially done nothing in the little time he does play. I think KGB’s playing days are coming to an end very soon. One thing I know for sure is that KGB’s current contract will be gone after this season. There is no way in the world that the Packers should be playing KGB the most money on the team when he has done next to nothing this season. KGB will either be cut or will have to renogotiate his contract this offseason. D

Jeremy Thompson-Maybe it is just me but I think Thompson has a bright future with the team. Thompson has stepped in the last couple of weeks and I personally have been impressed with his play. While he makes some rookie mistakes, you can’t deny that he has talent and potential at the DE position. I think with more playing time this season, he could become a good DE for us next season. B-

Michael Montgommery-Michael Montgommery has pretty much been his normal self this year. He is a career backup. He will rarely make big plays but he also won’t give up many big plays. He is a solid DE and that’s it. C

Defensive Tackle

Ryan Pickett-Ryan Pickett has had a decent year but has kindof been a disappointment so far this season. He is just not playing as well as he did last season. I think there could be two things leading to worse play this season. First he might not yet be in playing shape. I don’t think this should be still affecting him but he did essentially miss every single training camp practice. The other explanation could be that he is forced to play more since there is only three DTs. Hopefully Pickett’s performance will pick up in the second half of the season. B-

Johnny Jolly-I think Jolly has had an on and off season. He has made some big plays this season but he has also become totally invisible at other points. Hopefully Jolly can play more consistently the rest of the season. B-

Colin Cole-I have actually been pretty impressed with Cole this season. I always thought of Cole as a pretty good rotational player and that was it. Cole has actually stepped up this season and has shown that he could be a pretty good defensive tackle. Obviously he hasn’t been dominated but I think his play has warranted more playing time in the future. B-

Justin Harrell-After the bye week Justin Harrell should finally be back. While a lot of people might think I am crazy, I think Justin Harrell’s return could be huge for the Packers defense. This is as long as he stays healthy. So why do I think Harrell could be a big addition to the defense. First he will be able to take some of the workload so our defensive line isn’t so tired at the end of games. Second if you actually look past his injury problems you will see that he actually played quite well last season when he actually got to play. He was pretty good in run support which the team really needs. I think Justin Harrell could be the piece to fix our struggling run defense.

Linebackers

Nick Barnett-Nick Barnett has had a disappointing season so far. I don’t know what it is be he is just not playing like he did last season. He is missing tackles and is not making the big plays that he has in the past. I think part of his problems can be attributed to the defensive line struggles since he does rely on the defensive line playing well. Hopefully the bye week will snap Nick Barnett back into his normal high level of play. B-

AJ Hawk-It is pretty hard to judge AJ Hawk’s season so far since he has been hampered with injuries the whole season. When he hasn’t been hurt he has played pretty well. You can tell the injuries are hampering his play though. Hopefully after the bye he will finally be healthy so he is able to return to his high level of play. B

Brady Poppinga and Brandon Chillar-Since they are essentially sharing the starting job now I have decided to review them together. Brady Poppinga has been a little silent this season but that might be partially due to him not having as much playing time. Chillar has actually been kindof a surprise. I actually expected him to just be a backup but he has actually stepped in and has shown to be pretty good in coverage. Hopefully this tandem will continue to work. B

Cornerbacks

Charles Woodson-I would seriously consider Charles Woodson to be the team MVP so far this season. Charles WOodson has shown why he is one if not the best cornerback in the league. He only is tied for the league lead in INTs and has only given up a couple completions all season. While you might not like Thompson, you must admit that he made a great signing when he signed Charles Woodson. A+

Al Harris-It’s hard to judge Al Harris’ season so far especially since he has missed most of the season. He was having a pretty good season before he was injured though. I still can’t believe that Al Harris will be able to return after the bye. I thought we had lost him for the rest of the season. I think the Packers should bring him back slowly though. Tramon has played very well in his absence so I don’t know why we shouldn’t bring Al Harris back slowly. B+

Tramon WIlliams-As already mentioned I think Tramon Williams has played very well this season. I think we have found one of our future starters at CB. While he had some troubles against the Cowboys, he has essentially been perfect since. While Williams will return to his 3rd CB spot, I think there is actually a pretty good chance that he could be a starter next season. A-

Will Blackmon and Pat Lee-Both of these players have shown some good and bad things this season. At this point both are more of projects. I think at least one of them could be a future starter for the Packers. I honestly don’t think the Packers could complain having players of Blackmon’s and Lee’s talent as 4th and 5th CBs. B

Jarrett Bush-Hopefully he won’t be on the roster much longer since he can’t cover and he hasn’t been that great in special teams either. F

Safeties

Nick Collins-I have been a critic of Collins in the past but I honestly can’t complain about much this season. Nick Collins has finally turned the corner and has become a playmaker. This is deffinently Nick Collins’ breakout season. If Nick Collins isn’t a Pro Bowler this season I will be very disappointed since Nick Collins is playing as well as any other safety in the league. A

Atari Bigby-Bigby has pretty much been hurt the whole season so I am not able to give him a grade. I do think he will have a big impact when he is finally able to return. If Bigby can return to his play of last year I think the Packers will have one of the best safety tandems in the league.

Aaron Rouse-Aaron Rouse’s season has been up and down so far this season. He has made some plays but he has also blown some coverages. When Bigby returns, Rouse will return to the bench which is the right thing in my opinion. Rouse needs some more time in order to develop. If he continues to develop the Packers will definently have a conundrum since they could have three starting caliber safeties. B

Kicker

Mason Crosby-While Mason Crosby has missed two field goals this season, I think he is still one of the best kickers in the league. A-

Punter

Derrick Frost-While he has been far from good, at this point I don’t think we will find a better punter. I think the Packers need to address the position in the offseason, hopefully through the draft. C

So what are your thoughts on the season so far? Who has really stepped up this season and who do you think has been a disappointment?

It’s the Wednesday before the bye week and you wouldn’t expect much news regarding the Packers. Surprisingly there are a couple stories worth bringing up.

First we’ll begin with some good news. Early this morning Coach McCarthy became a father once again when his wife (Jessica) gave birth to his new baby girl, Gabrielle Kathleen. Congratulations to the McCarthy’s. It’s always good to hear a positive story after all the negative stories involving a certain player that used to wear #4.

Speaking of that Favre finally gave his side of the story. Obviously he denied the whole thing. Well that isn’t a suprise since he would be an idiot to say he did even if it is the truth. According to Favre, Millen actually called him to talk about hunting. He then asked Favre to give him some tips on the Packers. Favre also claims that the reports of him calling Tony Romo were also false since Romo actually called him. If these two reports are true it will definently take a load off the Favre hating. The problem is that Favre has pretty much no credibility anymore after this offseason. I hope he is telling the truth but at this point I have no idea if he is. I doubt we will ever find out the truth behind what really happened. Even if Favre wasn’t guilty of the latest accusations I sill need time to forgive him for what happened this offseason (he was at least partially responsible for what happened). Hopefully Favre can just learn to shut up for once and just play out the rest of the season. If he doesn’t ruffle anymore feathers, and these rumors are never confirmed I believe most Packer fans will eventually forgive him. I know I will but I need some time and that means that Favre needs to stop his vengeful ways.

Finally it appears that if things go as planned the Packers should come out of the bye pretty healthy. McCarthy is giving the team the week off but is forcing the injured players to get their normal rehab treatments. Al Harris was also medically cleared to resume playing. I personally think that during the Titans game we should play him as the #3 in order to get him back into playing shape. Tramon showed in the last game that he is a very good #2 so why not bring Al Harris back slowly. As long as there aren’t any setbacks I believe we will see all our players back (obviously not the IR players). Players like AJ Hawk, Aaron Rodgers, and Charles Woodson will also be able to fully heal from their injuries so they should be able to play at an even higher level.

You probably have heard about the latest Brett Favre rumor. At first I thought I wasn’t going to address it but since it is the biggest thing going on in Green Bay I felt compelled to make my thoughts known on the issue.

At this point it is only a rumor but a very serious rumor. For those of you who haven’t heard, Jay Glazer has reported that Brett Favre supposedly told the Lions everything he knew about our offense. While it didn’t end up affecting the game (since we beat them) it does raise up some red flags. Could the once Packer legend really turn on the Packers and become a traitor to help the lowly Lions?

I think the real issue with this rumor is not that Favre helped the Lions but that he was willing to sell out his teammates and his loyal fans. I don’t know if it is just me but I don’t think I deserve to be treated like this. I supported Favre for 16 years and if this rumor is true (which it could easily be false) Favre just spit in my face. We all know that you hate Thompson and McCarthy, Favre. What I want to know is why you are treating your former teammates and fans (and possibly some former fans) like this? What did I ever do to you? Why can’t you just let it go? You didn’t get your way. Life’s hard. You don’t always get your way. That doesn’t give you the right to throw your former teammates and fans under the bus because you have a grudge against Thompson.

During the whole fiasco I really didn’t want to pick a side. I knew both sides were at fault. Since Favre has been traded he just won’t let it go though. You don’t see the Packers attacking him. Favre continues to sling mud though. He is currently acting like a young child who didn’t get his way so he is throwing a temper tantrum. Why can’t you just get over it Favre? I hated how the whole thing went down and just wanted to forget about it but you just won’t let it go.

While you might think you are hurting Thompson, at this point you are just embarrassing yourself Favre. Just let it go since all you are doing is hurting your legacy. You used to be my favorite Packer of all time but that is in serious Jeopardy now. If this continues you are seriously risking your whole Packers legacy. Favre, is it really worth throwing your whole legacy away just to get back at Thompson. You worked so hard to build your legacy in Green Bay but if you continue on your current path it might be all gone pretty quick. What are you then going to do once you finally retire? You will essentially have nothing left in the NFL since you alienated your true fans. While your new fans in New York might like you now it won’t last. Your Packer fans will be behind you for the rest of your life.

If you think I am being harsh on Favre, you don’t even want to think what other Packer fans are thinking. Some Packer fans are thinking about not even retiring Favre’s number and not even letting him in the Packer Hall of Fame. I think that is a little drastic at this point but if Favre doesn’t stop immediately I would really start thinking about it. Favre has really ruffled a lot of feathers and he will have to work hard to get the respect he once held back.

While I know Fave would never do this I think he owes his teammates and his fans an apology. None of us have done anything to him except support him. How does he show his grattitude? By throwing us under the bus. I beg of Favre to just stop and play out the rest of his career. After a couple years he then should come back to Green Bay since most will be forgiven by that time (at least for most people). While I know this would never happen I hope Favre would read this and see what he is doing to his former team and fans. We don’t deserve what you are doing to us.

With all that said I hope that these rumors aren’t true since Favre legacy will never overcome it if it is always true. While most Packer fans (including myself) will eventually forgive him, this will forgive be a tarnish of his legacy. While it would be nic to know the truth, the sad thing is we will never know since the truth will never come out. Obviously Favre would never admit to doing it and there will never be any proof that he didn’t do it so we will be stuck with the question of whether he did or didn’t do it. I don’t know if it is just me but I don’t think Packers deserve this.

I doubt I am alone in saying that the Packers downright dominated yesterday’s game. If yesterday’s game is any indication last year’s Packers are finally back. Many Packer fans didn’t think the Packers could win yesterday and even if they could it would be a very close game. Obviously we were all wrong since the Packers won and totally dominated the Colts. While most of the media is wondering what is up with the Colts, I am giving credit to where it is deserved, the Green Bay Packers.

Yesterday’s game was total domination for the Packers. The Packers essentially dominated every facet in the game. Some telling stats include Manning throwing more touchdowns to us than his own team and throwing more yards to our team until the fourth quarter. While there were a couple mistakes there was really no one to blame for this loss so I am only going to talk about the positive coming out of this game.

The stars of yesterday’s game was the secondary. I knew our secondary was good but I never imagined them to be this good. If yesterday’s game is any indication our secondary is donwright scary and is easily one of the best in the league. That was also with two starters out. I can’t even imagine how good our secondary could be once we get Al Harris and Atari Bigby back. At this point the Packers should have two shoeins for the Pro Bowl (Nick Collins and Charles Woodson). It is downright amazing that our secondary has scored five touchdowns themselves. This is the type of defensive play that Super Bowl teams rely on.

The secondary was the star of the defense this week but the rest of the defense also played pretty well. The run defense could have done better but I was impressed with the pass rush. We didn’t get any sacks in the game but you could tell that Manning was feeling the pressure. What I was most impressed with was the push up the middle. It is good to finally see the defensive tackles get some pressure. This should only improve once Justin Harrell gets back into the rotation.

While the defense was the star of the game, the offense also had a great game. While the stats might not say it, Aaron Rodgers had another great game. I don’t know if it is me but I think the Packers made the right choice this offseason. While Rodgers might not be a flashy as Favre what I like is that he doesn’t make all the stupid plays that Favre used to make. Even though this is his first season I feel more confident that Rodgers won’t turn the ball over as I ever felt when Favre was behind center. I think this is crucial for our team. I can’t imagine how good Rodgers can be when his shoulder injury is fully healed and he has more experience under his belt. I think our NFC North opponents are already fearing having to face another great QB after finally getting rid of one of the best QBs in the league.

While the running game could have played better I say improvement this week. As long as we are seeing improvement you need to be at least encouraged about the future. Grant seems to finally be back at full speed. Maybe after the bye week the running game will finally turn the corner and play as well as it did at the end of last season.

My final props go out to Green Bay fans everywhere. I think the fans had a huge impact on the game. You could tell Manning had trouble communicating with his team. While every Packer fan couldn’t be there yesterday I would like to give credit to all Packer fans around the world. Packer fans have been tested this offseason like no fanbase should be and it is good to see the fanbase stick together. This is just another reminder why the Packers have the best fanbase in professional sports.

While the next two weeks will be boring without any Packer football, I think it is good for the team. The team had a huge win going into the bye which should propel them into the second half of the season. The Packers will hopefully get healthy over the bye week and we will finally be able to show people how good the Packers truly are.