After a massively disappointing 2017 season which saw the Packers unable to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008, Green Bay will be hoping for better this term.
The injury to Aaron Rodgers in week 6 completely derailed any hopes of reaching the NFC Championship game for back to back seasons. What followed was a complete capitulation with eight defeats in 11 games. The loss to the Carolina Panthers in week 15 pretty much eliminated any hope of reaching the playoffs.
But the new season brings with it new expectations and hope that these wrongs can be made right.
Prior to Rodgers’ injury, the Packers were flying; winning four out of their six opening games. If that form can be replicated and there are no injury concerns, there will be every chance that the NFC Championship comes through Green Bay.
Camp has produced what maybe will be a new undrafted star in former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater receiver Jake Kumerow. He has left an impression so far this camp in the team’s offense and pass-under-pressure periods.
Kumerow was upbeat after his performance and he said: “It feels good to get a few catches under your belt going into the rest of camp, the more plays you make, the better. And I’m just trying to do that every day. Hopefully tomorrow I come out and have another good day.”
Kumerow was born into the football world with his father, Eric, being a first-round pick for the Miami Dolphins in 1988. His uncle, John Bosa played three seasons for the Dolphins himself while his cousin, Joey, was the NFL defensive rookie of the year after being the third pick in the 2017 draft.
It’s not all plain sailing though as there are still concerns over the backup quarterback. Brett Hundley was a disaster for the Packers in 2017 and that was shown by the fact that he didn’t throw a single touchdown in Lambeau Field.
The Packers have attempted to address this issue in the trade of cornerback Damarious Randall for former Cleveland Browns starter DeShone Kizer. However, Kizer’s 2017 did not fare much better than Hundley’s. He led the league with 22 interceptions and was last in completion percentage with a mere 53.6 percent as a rookie.
The returning Rodgers was not so downbeat. Speaking with former teammate James Jones, he expressed his delight in the way the team was looking ahead of the season to come.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had as strong of group of coordinators as a whole. We have Mike Pettine, who’s been a head coach on defense and is an incredible leader and orator in front of the room.
“You’ve got Joe Philbin, who has been a head coach in the league, who can control the room. And you’ve got Ron Zook, who was a college coach for years and can control a room. We’ve got four head coaches on our staff. There’s a different mindset this year and a different feel to the team.”
Head coach Mike McCarthy echoed the reasons to be excited and hopeful for the new season.
“I think we’re all better for the negative things that have occurred. You talk about knowledge, the ability to learn from your past experiences and really the past experience of others that are shared with you.
“You learn a lot in this business about the mistakes and the ability to overcome adversity. All those, because, hey, this is going to be a rough ride to get to where we want to go.”
With the additional pressure on McCarthy this season, he is currently 80/1 to be the first coach fired. However, the Packers are the second favorites to clinch the NFC North at 29/20, while the Minnesota Vikings are favorites at 13/10.
Packers are currently 10/1 to win Super Bowl LIII, which will be in Atlanta. The New England Patriots are favorites at 5/1.
There’s no reason to think this team can’t be special, so long as Rodgers stays healthy.
“There’s no reason to think this team can’t be special, so long as Rodgers stays healthy.”
Lol, and there’s that wonderful logic of the past seven years. No reason to be concerned about the defense, or the offensive line, or special teams, or the playcalling so long as we have Aaron Rodgers. No reason at all… Rodgers can win the Super Bowl on his own. See those giant coattails over there everyone? Let’s all jump on them!
First, i read the title of this article and somewhat laughed. Then i read the article and that last line, then i laughed uncontrollably.
After that i saw the comment from cheese, highlighting that last impressive line. “There’s no reason…….”
Priceless….lol
So are we back to the mindset of if we have Rodgers, then we have a chance to win the Super Bowl? Have we not learned anything the last 7 seasons?
We enter this season with more questions about this team than we’ve had since the 80’s. Just to be clear….the term “more questions” isn’t a positive thing.
Yes Joseph, the Super Bowl will be held in Atlanta, and if you think the Packers have even a fair chance of being there, i’ll have what you’re drinking.
The team who has a real chance of playing in the SB in Atlanta, is the Falcons. Their defense took a GIANT leap from 2016-2017. The Packers as we sit today, are striving and hoping to achieve that same goal. I live in reality, hoping it happens and doing it are two different things. The Falcons did it, the Packers are hoping they can do it. If the Falcons can sustain their improvements on defense, pick up the offense a bit, they may be playing (and winning) the Super Bowl….at home.
PF4L…out
If I was any good at drawing or knew how to use photoshop I would make a picture of the front office riding Rodgers coattails. I may have to learn how just for this image. It’s too good of an idea to pass up.
“I think we’re all better for the negative things that have occurred. You talk about knowledge, the ability to learn from your past experiences and really the past experience of others that are shared with you.”
So what was learned from that futile defense 7 consecutive seasons? That you really, really, really wanted to make sure the defense was suspect because of Capers before pulling the plug?
“You learn a lot in this business about the mistakes and the ability to overcome adversity. All those, because, hey, this is going to be a rough ride to get to where we want to go.”
Somehow, when I read that quote by McCarthy, I don’t think McCarthy understands some of the words he is using. Words like “learn”, “mistakes”, “ability”, “overcome”, “adversity”. “Adapt” is certainly missing from his vocabulary. I don’t know what he considers a rough ride. In aviation any landing you can walk away from is a successful landing. This crash and burn shit on display year after year doesn’t get them even close to where they want to go. Hopefully, and with guarded enthusiasm, this is the year that might change. In Pettine we trust anyone?
Well said….i hope they learned something from the past train wrecks that we’ve witnessed, the defense giving up over 500 yards and 35-45 points in multiple playoff games. The “complete” 5 minute (nightmare) collapse of 12 point lead in a NFFCG against Seattle.
What McCarthy learned from all of that, apparently was to do …….nothing, until 2018.
Have we not seen enough of this clowns act?
The disease is still in the building
i could not agree more with PackerFan4Life, as usual.
While the Packers have made lits of good offseason moves, the need more depth on o-line and lb, and we still have McCarthy to overlook the obvious, as he did with Capers, and to show unwarranted loyalty to the players he likes, who usually are not studs, like Rollins and Hundley. As for fullbacks, which McCarthy loves, he never got the production from Kuhn or gets it from Ripkowski, the way Holmgren got out of stud William Henderson. So why keep non-playmakers in valuable roster spots. Ask the good ole boys club of McCarthy, Murphy and Ted Thompson. Yes, we still have Ted. And if Rodgers hadnt been hurt, we would still have Capers.
Now McCarthy, has back Davon House and Tramon Williams because draft and develop is not possible with McCarthys coaching. 3 More years for grooming Hundley to get another 38-0 loss at Lambeau I expect.
We are better this yr due to Gute moves, but better also will be Bears, Vikes and Lions.
Eagles won SB because their backup QB Foles, 3 good RBs, and a great D effort.
I like our RBs, but backup QB Hundley needs to develop, if he can, elsewhere, and Pettine needs more time to settle in.
When the ship finally sank last season, Packers let the crew all perish and gave the dam captain a new ship and crew.
Name another street after our dumbest, fattest coach.
not without Baktihari… I guess he was carted-off with an ankle injury but he is supposed to be ok
Fuck me, Stacey Dales
Just called my bookie to put $50 on the 80-1….
If that wins, i’d call that one hell of a good day.
I mean, yeah, sure its possibe. They could win the super bowl. A lot of teams have kind of emerged from nowhere to do so. 2012 Ravens come to mind. I dont think the eagles were expected to be serious contenders going into last year. A ton of things have to go right. I will always have hope, but will assume failure
I also want to have hope. But i need hope that is rooted from substantial reason.
The Eagles may have come from nowhere idk, but they had two important ingredients, a back up QB who could ball, and they had a defense giving up less than 19 PPG.
The last time Rodgers played with a defense that gave up less than 19 PPG, the Packers won a SB and Rodgers won SB MVP
Dude…..!!
You just gave away the “secret” strategy ! Lol
I’m not just another pretty face around here…
Surprised Nobody’s mentioned The P Word….
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