This probably wasn’t the best offseason for a lockout, at least as far as the Green Bay Packers organization is concerned.
Every team coming off a Super Bowl win experiences some sort of hangover. The players are partying, making personal appearances, getting their faces in the media and partaking in all kinds of stupid promotional and commercial endeavors.
In other words, while everyone else is getting back to football, the players on the Super Bowl-winning team are standing around getting pats on the back and forgetting about the hard work it took them to reach the pinnacle of their sport to begin with.
In a normal offseason, that probably would have stopped by now. The Packers would have begun organized team activities and probably would have had a minicamp this month, which would have allowed the coaching staff to refocus the players’ attention on winning.
Back to football, back to normalcy and back to focusing on next season.
No one’s flipped that switch and it’s starting to look like some Packers are content to ride this Super Bowl wave on through the summer, which doesn’t bode well for a repeat.
The Packers are one of only four NFL teams who haven’t had any sort of player-organized workout sessions this offseason.
The others are the [intlink id=”147″ type=”category”]Seattle Seahawks[/intlink], [intlink id=”249″ type=”category”]Carolina Panthers[/intlink] and [intlink id=”13″ type=”category”]Chicago Bears[/intlink]. Both the Seahawks and Panthers are reportedly planning organized activities in the next couple weeks.
It makes you wonder if complacency has set in.
The team the Packers killed in the divisional round of the playoffs last season, the [intlink id=”127″ type=”category”]Atlanta Falcons[/intlink], have gone so far as to have organized 7-on-7 practices twice a week since May 10. The Falcons, who gave away a chunk of their future by trading five draft picks to move up 21 spots in the first round of this year’s draft and select receiver Julio Jones, clearly think this is their year and are acting accordingly.
The Packers, on the other hand, continue to offer excuses. First, linebacker [intlink id=”80″ type=”category”]A.J. Hawk[/intlink] characterized player-organized workouts as a disaster. Then quarterback [intlink id=”25″ type=”category”]Aaron Rodgers[/intlink] said the team had no plans to work out or practice as a unit because it’s too hard to get guys together.
Certainly, there are factors working against the Packers and their [intlink id=”527″ type=”category”]NFC North[/intlink] brethren. Most players live elsewhere during the offseason. The weather isn’t always cooperative, especially during the early part of the offseason.
If the Packers really wanted to get together, they would, though.
The [intlink id=”29″ type=”category”]Oakland Raiders[/intlink] met outside Atlanta just this week and defensive end Richard Seymour picked up the tab for many of the expenses.
Certainly, the Packers played longer than anyone other than the [intlink id=”386″ type=”category”]Pittsburgh Steelers[/intlink] last season, and have a level of familiarity and comfort with each other and the schemes, but it almost seems like they’re betting on that to win them games in 2011.
We assume most players are working out on their own, but Rodgers has been seen in the media more this offseason than he has been throwing a football. Meanwhile, linebacker [intlink id=”454″ type=”category”]Clay Matthews[/intlink] seems to be just as interested in adding to his commercial reel as he does in training — twice in the past three weeks Matthews was elsewhere when we called his training facility. This week we were informed he’s shooting commercials in New York.
These are the Packers’ team leaders and they might be taking a little too long to bask in their own glory.
It will be interesting to see if those teams working hard right now have an advantage over those doing commercials right now once the season begins.
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After what happened last year? Really? How can you doubt this team?
I think as a fan, you’ve gotta be playing with house money for at least a couple years, no?
Also, when fans were clamoring for Marshawn Lynch, saying this isn’t the year due to injuries, ARod concussion worries, etc. the Packers team, as an organization in general shrugged it off, showed they can’t be gotten to no matter what.
I think they all know the system inside and out, they won a SuperBowl with it. Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers are staying in shape as far as I have heard. They aren’t eating donuts on a couch.
How can we doubt them at this point?
I don’t think that we need to sound the alarm yet. I feel that most of the player organized work outs are for publicity reasons, just to show that they care. These guys are professionals, they know how to keep in shape. I’m with Rodgers on this one, If there is a threat of losing training camp, then they will start to get together. No worries here.
Guess we’ll see when (and if) the season starts. If they win, nobody will care. If they lose, everyone will point to the lack of any player organization during the lockout.
I’ll be pretty upset if the Falcons beat the Packer when they play against each later this year. The went 13-3 last year and are ready to make a run. Right now I’d say they a lot more focused on winning than we are.
yea…..player orginaized activietes and they’ve gone as far as 7 on 7s? NO FUCKING WAY both of you are dumb so you think the players (who by the way have NO IDEA HOW TO RUN A MINI CAMP) who probably only doing the things they want to do with NO coaching staff NO trainings staff NO medical staff hmmm. you know what most of these things turn out to be? playing catch….WOOOOW THEIR SO FUCKING FOC– — USED CA– — USE THEY”RE PLAYING CATCH AND FLAG FOOTBALL BASICLY WOW
I sense some pent up rage there robbie, everything okay? We all know this isn’t really about offseason activities, tell us what’s really on your mind son.
Gonna have to err on the side of Robbie. The media all want to make something out of nothing as usual!
Seriously, they are bonding and nothing beyond that. In addition, I think that these offseason programs are helping rookies get alittle ore acclimated to the offenses/defenses but thats it.
This team will have their stuff straight. I would take playing 4 weeks longer than the Falcons in Postseason football rather than a gathering of 30-35 players a month earlier than us.
HHmmm, postseason play in the NFL or gathering for 7 on 7’s at a high school field?? Tough
Go Pack Go!!!
Is the Falcon defense practicing the 7 on 7? Then I don’t see how they are helping themselves.
In a way, this could be the PERFECT offseason to be Super Bowl champs. Well, first, of course, there is no bad offseason to be champs, but anyway, with no OTAs and minicamps, and likely no full training camp or preseason, everyone should be about equally unprepared for when the season starts. The Pack will be fine.
If I were a member of the Falcons, I would be doing 7 on 7s too, and putting gel in my hair, and washing my tights.
I gotta say I actually see some good in all of this and maybe I’m overanalyzing but we(Packers) worked our bodies 4 weeks longer than anyone else at the end of an already exhausting season and this is a welcome late start!
That is one reason why many superbowl teams have a difficult time repeating in addition to that huge target by EVERY team that plays us.
These guys with the extra time off will come back refreshed and even more focused. Sure I would like the OTA’s & Minicamp especially for the 2nd year & Rookies but I cant see a team less hurt by all of this than the Packers!!
Go Pack Go!!
It will be interesting to see how they re-schedule everything. I think that we might actually have a normal length Training Camp that is pushed back date-wise and 1 less preseason game when it comes down to crunchtime.
This strike blows!!! I wanta hear whats happening with minicamp battles & rookie progressions, etc. right about now….
Do you keep reposting that picture to make it seem like people don’t know Rodgers fucks guys in the butt?
Nope BB, it’s to allow you to vent your sexual insecurities. Sure, sure, everyone packs their daddies butt just like you champ.
I would think it takes a lot more than just “working out” together. Coaches play a bigger role in all of this, in my opinion. As everything revolves around the playbook.
I hope they are at least going to the gym and staying in shape.