How do YOU think The Pack will do this year?

Actually I see the Vikes hitting abotu that same number (if we don’t lose the wall or Favre). This year we’re going to have to win as many as we can in conference because I can see a strong chance at a tie for the play off spot. Worse, this conference is going to be tough, and if one of our teams slips one of us might not be able to hit into that wild card spot.

Although I don’t have as specific of a recommendation about what they need to change as you do, I do think that one of the main things we have to overcome is just having the will to win in big spots. It always seems like McCarthy’s teams can get just good enough to raise expectations through the roof, but then they wilt when the lights get hot.

Holmgren’s teams (read “Favre”) went through this too, though, so maybe they’ll overcome it. In ‘96, they were focused with the mind-set of "we’re going to get it done this year and nobody and nothing is going to stop us ‘til the job’s done" (as opposed to “boy, I sure hope we’re good enough to get far this year” followed by “holy crap, we just might be good enough, and it would sure make us happy if something good falls into our laps”)

but not in the way we use it in making it to the playoffs!

I think they made some interesting moves this year to attempt to improve on their 7 win season. Will it be enough? Hard to tell, but it has to be worth a win or two on paper. Now in practice, can Martz make it work? Hard to tell, since he bombed in his last stint.

Lambeau is very cold in January! And it’s tough to win at Lambeau.

If we can hold teams under 20 points a game we will be fine, if we can’t hold them under 30 it will be a long season.

I’d say 10 at the very least

The main games that I would see the Pack pulling out you have marked as loses are:

Minn. The Packers are a different team then when they first played the Vikings. They are healthier, more experienced, and have a bit more swagger. Add on top of that being much deeper at O-line, I’m much more optimistic.

Dallas. While Dallas does seem to have the Pack’s number they have typically struggled at Lambeau, which is where this year’s game will be.

@Atlanta. This will be a tough game, but I’m not a huge believer in the Falcons. I don’t think that they have the consistent pass rush needed to be more than a wild card team. I think the Packers can win this one, especially considering that they will be coming out of the bye.

Throw in a few long shots like @NE and @Minn. These are doubtful but do able. My thoughts on these games are kind of like how I see the Falcon game from their perspective. It’s a bit of an uphill climb, but winnable.

After those games a 12 win season is not that far off. Realistically the Pack should be around 10 or 11 wins with a playoff berth…maybe a NFC North championship.

And yes, Bulaga helps because even though I have no idea if or when he’ll pan out, even this season, he can’t possibly be worse than Colledge or Barbre.

Fair post, you just have to keep some things in mind. Our OL actually should be better. Too start, both Clifton and Tauscher will be healthy and a year further removed from major knee surgery. Spitz coming back should help things out as well.

I hear ya with the secondary but right now I don’t think it will be that bad. Woodson hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Williams is perfectly capable of being a good #2, and a great #3. Who knows with Harris but if he can come back and even be a #3 or #4, it’ll help things out a lot. Lee’s also coming back from an injury, and Underwood will have another year of experience. You gotta keep in mind that last year we were playing with Bush as our nickel and Bell as our dime back. One guy has no business being on any NFL team, and the other guy was a FA who we signed off the street.

Another thing that could help us out is experience. It was our first year in the 3-4, which is a hard defense to transition too. It was pretty evident that we had a hard time communicating and making adjustments last year against better teams, and with another offseason we should improve in that aspect.

As far as the competition goes, this year’s schedule looks much tougher. I guess I disagree with some of the losses you think we’ll have. We played well against Dallas last year, and actually beat them pretty bad. New England will be tough but their aging, and their defense wasn’t great last year. Not saying we’ll for sure win this one but I’d say we have a pretty good chance. You never know with the Bears either. I think they’ll be better but I thought that last season as well, so who really knows. I agree we don’t matchup well against the Vikes but even against them we have a fair chance. Keep in mind, both times we played them last year without Clifton and Tauscher.

I think the reason a lot of us see 10+ wins for us, is because of our offense. I mean even when we only had an average OL for the last 9 games of the season we were able to go 8-1, averaging nearly 30 points a game. It’s gonna be tough for teams to stop Rodgers, especially with the emergence of Finley.

I think it will be tough for Minnesota to sweep you again this year last year Brett pulled out the stops and your tackles were ineffective. I think you have a solid chance against Dallas and NE. You should also be able to beat the Falcons. I would however give you a mystery loss to one of the teams you think you can beat easily (it happens every season to every team) I think you’ll lose one to Detroit or maybe Miami.

We had a need at both CB and S in the previous draft. Although a CB would have been nice, we got a steal at the S position. It was a case of drafting the best available player. On top of that, the secondary has different roles in the 3-4 compared to the 4-3. In the 4-3, the CB’s are more valuable and have more difficult tasks in man coverage. In the 3-4, the S has a ton more on his plate. There are more zone blitzes, which means the CB covers the sideline in zone, while the Safeties have to cover the majority of the field. I like Atari Bigby, but he’s a better fit at SS in the 4-3 defense. I ain’t gonna argue on our need for a CB though. We could use depth. It goes back to B.P.A. in the draft and returning players for us. Pat Lee did good in the very few games he did play, so will he finally be healthy for us? Underwood will return with a year of experience under his belt. Those 2 are battling for the #4 spot on the depth chart. When Al Harris returns, he’s #2 and our Top 3 are solidified with Woodson, Harris, and Williams. It is a risk with Harris too, but he’s better then who we could have gotten in the 3rd Round of the draft.

Could Aaron Rodgers improve in the 2 minute drill? Most definately, like any other QB. He struggled with that in 2008, but did very well in 2009. That’s a good sign, but you can always do better. Rodgers is great, but he still has plenty to improve on.

Now I have an assignment for you. Look back in the past several years at the teams losing the Conference Championship. How did they do the following year? I’m not worried about Minnesota this year. They will lose a little swagger, will have a tougher schedule, and I have a big feeling they are going to get hit with the injury bug.

As for Chicago, no question, Lovie Smith is gone after this season. You don’t pay a lazy and inconsistent DE an elite QB’s salary. That’s just common sense. He basically has to win the Superbowl or he’s gone. Playoffs just won’t cut it.

Lovie is on the hot seat, but McCarthy definitely is NOT on the hot seat… In fact I would say Childress is on the hot seat alot more than McCarthy! Childress tied his future to #4, so if #4 doesn’t return to play, childress still has to make the playoffs or he is looking for work! McCarthy will be in GB long after Childress is fired… IMO..

you haven’t seen it because its not happening. McCarthy and TT are both on very solid ground right now. Despite some peoples hatred for them for what they did to Favre, they’ve rebuilt an old run down team into a young up and coming team loaded with good talent. Could they both improve? Most definitely. Are either on the hot seat? By no means.