Preview: Green Bay Packers at Buccaneers

is the goal for the week.

then prepare and destroy the cowgirls.

for many reasons, I still hate the cowgirls more than any other team. Their fans, their owner, etc. They are the exact opposite of the Packers and we NEED to win that game to have a chance at the playoffs.

hopefully our o-line is ready to go, because Demarcus Ware is a beast.

Oh, sorry, the Bucs, ummm…very scary, tough game, GO Pack Go.

If we don’t win this game I am done for the season because MM has officially lost the team.

Haven’t seen the line, but it is probably 14+pts.

As a resident of Toilet Town and a life long Cowboys fan it is going to be great to crush the pitiful fudge packers for the 3rd straight year. Kepp making excuses packer fans but your team and your organization is pathetic!

Is Packers -10 or -9½, depending on who you ask.

Unless the Blue Fairy has visited Josh Freeman’s since preseason and turned him into a Real Football Player, Packers should win, maybe just on defensive scores alone.

I think the Packers will play well in Tampa (though not perfect). I’m beginning to suspect that disparity between their play in the Viking games is not so much due to “strength of schedule” as it is pressure. I think this team plays great when they are relaxed and focused. The pre-season wins, the Detroit shutout, the Browns near shutout, the Cutler face-palming, the issue with lack of “progress transferring to the field”…I feel like everyone is ignoring the elephant in the middle of the room. Setting aside the loss to the Bengals for a moment, we are talking about two losses to just one team. Not just any team. Not just any two division games.

We all know what those two games meant to fans emotionally. I believe this Packer team cares quite a bit about their fans, and even moreso about Aaron Rodgers. I think they really wanted to win those games for their QB and the fans. Maybe they internalized it a little bit too much, and tried just a bit too hard during both games. Notice how they played their best when behind by two or more scores? I think that is why McCarthy sounds like a broken record. He sees solid play at practice, and in games where expectations are low. He sees bizarre errors during big games.

These guys are young, and are still tryig to find their identity as a team that is still living in Favre’s shadow. I am certain they do their best not to think about it. But when the bad break in a high-stakes game pops up, they seem to have a tough time bouncing back. They seem to be particularly vulnerable to momentum and the emotional flow of the game (see Penalties, Communication, and Mental Errors for more). I think teams comprised of more seasoned players, like the Vikings, are in a position to exploit that.

We all know what the TV commentators, discussion boards, and blogs are all talking about right now. That’s what Favre’s current unretirement means in the NFC North for now, and maybe the next season or two. I think that younger players like Mathews and Havner are standing out because their play is consistent during big games. I think the more the team tries to force big plays in games, the more quarters we will like the first two from last week. The more the team accepts what the other team will give them, and have faith in the coaching and gameplan, the more quarters we will see like the final two from last week.

My gut says they will be fine against Tampa, and will scratch out some tough wins in the games ahead. But high expectation games will probably not break their way, until they rank a little older than they do know. I think the recent influx of veterans will help more than people give them credit for. Time will tell.