JosephC

Packers now listing Aaron Banks as Out on Thursday. If there was a normal week and we were still 4 days out, there might be a chance that would change. But considering the game is tomorrow, pretty much a guarantee that he won't play. Talk about a complete bust.

Brandon Dorius has a thumb injury and will likely be listed as questionable. Bowman will also be listed as questionable. The injury report does list them as full practice participants on Tuesday, so I would expect to see both of them on the field. Aaron Banks and Warren Brinson did not practice on Tuesday. The Morgan/Jennings OR Burton/Rhyan/Monk/Belton line is the thing nightmares are made of. In terms of average per year salary, Banks is still a top 10 paid guard. The Packers need him to get back and AT LEAST be an ABOVE AVERAGE player.

Grabbing Za'Darius Smith was a great last-minute pickup for them. He isn't what he once was, but without him the Falcons pass rush just doesn't look all that threatening. Brandon Dorlus is an interior rusher to watch, although he's not at the point where he would scare me. They have two great pass-catchers, but they have a glaring lack of depth at both the WR and TE spots. Packers could just slant everything towards London, which should put a damper on the passing game. Penix is entering year #3 and his progression makes me think he won't make it to an average NFL starting QB. The things that concern me the most about the Packers is the O-line and CB, and the Falcons don't seem to have enough players to exploit the Packer's weaknesses. Packers have injuries, but the Falcons could be missing a starting cornerback (Terrell) and nickel back (Bowman), and if that happens it makes the matchup look even more lopsided as the Packer's passing game is probably the strength of the team. Bijon Robinson is the one guy that could get on a roll and they could run left, run right, run up the gut and break some big runs and control the game, But NFL teams just don't want to run backs 30 times a game anymore. Robinson averaged 16.9 carries per game last year, and if he ends up with 17 carries in this game, I just wouldn't be too concerned with that. Packers are 6.5 point favorites and I would pick them to cover. Falcons have to come north and will probably be playing 50 degree weather (Thursday forecasted high is 68 degrees, we'll see how much that temperature drops by game time), It would be a huge disappointment if the Packers lose this game, I'm expecting a big effort.

I'm glad I accidentally clicked on this thread as I almost missed this. Z. Smith was an outstanding add. P. Smith and Amos were good quality adds. Turner, Lewis and Graham weren't needle movers IMO, but they didn't hurt and not one of those deals could be considered a bad deal from the Packer's perspective. That's a good group of players, just makes one wonder what happened with Gutekunst in the year of the Banks/Hobbs signings.

I only see 3 teams in the NFC that have rosters that look significantly better than the Packers: Rams, Seahawks, Eagles. I'm guessing I'd see about the same thing in the AFC. As bad as parts of the team look, it wouldn't surprise me if the Packers were the 8th best team in the NFL...or if the Packers were the 24th best team in the NFL.

It's still a road win, so it should count for something. Hopefully this will put them on the right track.

That's right. They might be better off being in a close game. Box score makes it look like the Jets O-line is equally as bad as the Green Bay O-line. Packer defenders already credited with 6 tackles for loss.

Oregon 84-0. Last week Miami played a game that was so one-sided that the game was stopped with 6 minutes left to play because the matchup was a complete joke. Now that this brand of football is officially a professional developmental league for the NFL, it's time for the rule-makers to say that FBS teams can no longer play FCS teams under any circumstances. If there is some goofy scheduling thing, then allow "non-Power 4" teams to schedule an extra game once every four years or something like that so everyone can play a full schedule.

Sorry, moved to general college football thread.

Like last week, people putting money on the opposition. Packers opened at a 4.5 point favorite, and as of this morning they are a 3 point favorite. Also, Minkah Fitzpatrick will not play due to a groin injury.

I'm looking at the Jets roster, and I'm guessing the Jets aren't so much improved but the Titans may be the worst team in the league. In terms of the matchup, I like the fact that the Jets don't possess much of a pass-rush along the DLine. They can rush the passer, but it look a little one-dimensional as most of it comes from the outside in the form of David Bailey, Will McDonald and Kingsley Enagbare. On the DL, David Onyemata was a pretty good pass-rusher back in his Falcon days, but not so much anymore. T'Vondre Sweat is a king-sized NT that will get doubled every time he is on the field. Harrison Phillips is a try-hard, blue-collar worker...but a pass-rusher he is not. If this DLine is defeating blockers, getting into gaps and causing havoc, the offensive line is even worse than most people think it is. LB-Demario Davis is older than dirt but still a good player. S-Minkah Fitzpatrick is another solid veteran add. Rookie D'Angelo Ponds was hurt and did not play this week, sounds like he is questionable for this week. The cornerback group appears to be a below average group. Dylan Parham was a nice signing at guard to stabilize the offensive line. Tippmann looked like a bust early but, from what I understand, has improved and is no longer a liability. They still have Josh Myers, so C will be a weak spot. And the two young first round pick tackles, they could be much improved this year or maybe mediocre. Not a fan of Geno Smith and have never been a fan. Hall and Allen are a plus running back combo in my book. Garret Mitchell is good and maybe Adonai Mitchell will have a breakthrough season (although he hasn't been good so far). Sound like Omar Cooper will miss this game, which helps because the depth at WR isn't great to begin with. They have talent at TE, but those guys are young. They need to do what the Panthers did last year. Run the ball, grind that clock down, limit the number of Packer possessions. Packers are a 3 1/2 point favorite as I type this, and that seems about right to me.

I agree. They wouldn't get so many double-digit leads and leads in the 4th quarter if they truly sucked. As of now I think the best definition is chokers. Offense does nothing and the defense becomes a sieve late in games. Coaches look clueless as it comes to managing a game with the nice cushion. If there ever was a prime example of chokers, over the last seven games, this team seems to be the prime example.

I will definitely agree that Thompson's last couple years were bad, but pretty much all of the key players during LaFleur's first three years were Thompson acquisitions. OldSchoolSnapper threw out a list of names, I don't need to repeat those and add more to it. The players brought in by Gutekunst's first three years that had a real postive impact are pretty much limited to Jaire Alexander (who was very good), Rashan Gary (who was very good when he wanted to be, which was only about half the time), Elgton Jenkins (who was very good) and then a couple of OK contributors like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and AJ Dillon. I found a list of trades and I don't see a player they acquired that would be considered any sort of difference-maker (may have missed a name). In terms of adding UFA or cut players, couldn't find a comprehensive list, but I can't remember anybody. Seems like the first real big splash that Gutekunst made in free agency was the McKinney/Jacobs adds, but that came well after LaFleur's first three years. Please point out any names I missed, but in terms of those first three years, it looks like the starters were 85+% Thompson acquisitions and most of the impact came from the Thompson years (but will certainly acknowledge Alexander of being an excellent cornerback and Jenkins being pretty much a rock on the offensive line).

And Ted Thompson. I still find it really hard to separate LeFleur and Gutekunst. If one has to go, then both of them should be out.

It wouldn't surprise me if he got hired in 10 seconds. Two reasons. #1 - He gets credit for developing Jordan Love, and while I'm still not convinced that Jordan Love is top-shelf, I'd guess that the 10-12 NFL teams that have garbage at the position thinks he looks like a 220 pound statue of 4-9's gold. #2 - ESPN would like to remind you once again that he has a 76-41-1 record. Personally, I'd like to point out that the record over the last 4 seasons plus one game (including playoffs) is 38-34-1 (for some reason, ESPN never seems to mention that). But that might actually work in his favor, because a new team might look at those first three seasons and just say, "the guy is good for 13 wins a season with good players."

The Vikings had a pass rush win rate of 90.6%, the highest by any team in a game since 2022, according to ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49936352/packers-searching-answers-blowing-another-lead-late The OLine sucks. How many people out there think (1) a returning Aaron Banks will fix it OR (2) the Vikings have the best pass-rushing defense in the NFL? It could be a real long season for the offense.

Just curious, do they have the youngest team in the NFL?

All the headlines in Madison today- Wisconsin football's home opener draws smallest crowd at Camp Randall since 1992.

The oddsmakers and the betting public don't seem to agree. https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/nfl/packers-vikings-prediction-odds-player-prop-bets-picks-week-1-jaa/ Packers opened as a 2.5 favorite, and now if you go to the BetMGM sportsbook, the Packers are currently a 1.5 point underdog. Guess I would be more concerned 20 years ago, when the majority of gamblers were NOT college students throwing their financial aid money away.

So if my math/estimate is correct, Josh Jacobs stands to lose approximately 3.85 million dollars (assuming 6 game suspension) for an offense that the legal system deems a 1000 dollar transgression (assuming he stays out of trouble the next 6 months...otherwise it's likely another small fine as the battery charge seems to be settled). Something seems very, very wrong with that. Either the NFLPA are idiots for making this sort of agreement, or the legal system is way too tolerant of criminal behavior. You be the judge.

I looked at the rosters for the NFC North, and I don't think any of those teams has a significantly better roster than Green Bay. Maybe somebody by a slight margin, but certainly nothing significant. Green Bay - I don't like the offensive line. I question much of the depth on the offensive side of the ball (again, offensive line). Lots of question marks at running back and not crazy about the depth at tight end. I do like the depth on defense, but nose tackle and cornerback could be worrisome spots. Chicago - They still have a left tackle problem. I also am not a fan of Jonah Jackson and have doubts about him. Garrett Bradbury is likely on his last legs, but at least they drafted a replacement so they have a decent enough in-house option. Their defensive line got pushed around a lot in the run game last year, and I don't think they fixed that. They also lost safety Jaquan Brisker who was an under-rated guy for them. Detroit - As much as I will cry-baby about the Packers depth on offense, that is nothing compared to the Lions depth on offense which is basically nothing. If I'm counting right, they only have 21 offensive players on the 53 man roster which I find really incredible. If the Sewell to left tackle thing works, they definitely have more than enough talent with the starting 11 to get it done. But with the way guys get injured, this could go south real quick. I do like the starters and the depth on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe the most complete offensive or defensive unit in the NFC North. Minnesota - Overall I think their roster is very under-rated, but they are still no better than Green Bay. Kyler Murray is nothing special, I'd probably rank him something like 21-24 as an NFL starting QB, so definitely below average. But he still could be a significant upgrade over McCarthy who really held that team back last year as he might not even be solid NFL backup material. He is awful. I like the rest of the offense. But CB is looking like a potential weak spot, and I really like some of those young guys on the DL...but at the same time those guys on the DL are pretty young. I'll go 10-7 for the Packers and 0-1 in the playoffs. The way you guys rip on LaFleur, I'll figure that even if they are the better team in the playoff matchup that the game will be close and he'll find some way to screw it up at the end.

You are forgetting the most important factor. Fickell's boss did not hire him. If there is one thing top-line administrators have in common, it's that they want "their guy" in what they deem important positions. Fickell very likely has this working against him in a big way. I think anything less than 8 wins is a guaranteed firing. Not even sure that 8 wins will save him, AD could use the weak schedule as justification. Next two games are easy wins. Then comes Penn State at Penn State, which if you believe the pollsters should be an automatic loss. Considering they lost a huge chunk of their team when Franklin left, I don't know how anyone could project Penn State. They might be very good, they might not be very good. But bottom line is that it's a road game against a ranked team, so project that as a loss. Then comes Michigan State at Wisconsin. Michigan State has been an even bigger mess than Wisconsin, so this is a must win game considering it's a home game. I'll predict that if the Badgers lose this game, and start 2-3, Eichorst will not wait and allow Fickell a chance to recover, he'll pull the trigger and fire him after this game. Do I think Wisconsin will lose both of those game...well definitely not the Michigan State game. But if it happens, I don't think Fickell is around for that trip to UCLA.

Just glancing through the list, Fickell had the following players in his one year as head coach at Ohio State (all of the following played, and none of them were suspended). QB-Braxton Miller, RB-Carlos Hyde, WR-Devin Smith (freshman), TE-Jake Stoneburner, OT-Jack Mewhort, OT-Andrew Norwell, C-Corey Linsley, DE-John Simon, DT-Jonathan Hankins, LB-Ryan Shazier (freshman), CB-Bradley Roby, S-Christian Bryant. Those are just the highlights, there are many more NFL'ers on the list. They had far better than 6 win, 7 loss talent. They had 5 players suspended, Terrelle Pryor, RB-Dan Herron (returned and played after 5 game suspension), OT-Mike Adams (more than adequate replacements in Mewhort and Norwell), DE-Solomon Thomas (not the same one that was a first round pick for the 49ers, this one had 27 tackles and 0 sacks in 4 college seasons) and WR-DeVier Posey (who returned and played after a 5 game suspension). Pollsters knew of the suspensions, still gave them a #18 ranking prior to the season. The ranked status lasted until week 3, when they got beat by a Miami, Fl team that had already lost to a pathetic Maryland team and ended with a 6-6 record (3-5 in the ACC). When the Badgers hired Fickell, I went into work and the Ohio State grad told me that, despite the media hype, the Badgers screwed up because Fickell is not a Big 10 head coach. Everything I've seen makes it look like that guy was right.

You sure got that part right.

Anything disingenuous about- Record as an American Conference head coach = 57-18 Record as a Big 10 head coach = 23-29 Fickell is not a big conference head coach. If you would rather blame Chris McIntosh, be my guest. He is really the idiot to blame for the program's downfall.