Cheese Curds, 6/29: Bears fans are ranked better than Packers fans?

Offseasons can be an overly optimistic time.

In the dog days of summer, it’s easy to see only the good parts of your team, letting your concerns (real and imagined) fade to nothingness as you await the return of crisp fall days and Sunday (and Monday and Thursday and sometimes Saturday late in the season) football.

Or, you can take the opposite tack and spend a couple months talking about the potential issues with a team, real or imagined. Today, concerns over the secondary and wide receivers have the attention of Packers media, which could be leading to the Packers paying a bit more attention to the supplemental draft than they usually would.

Oh, and a study says the Bears have better fans than the Packers.

Cowboys fans are better than Packers fans, so says an economic and marketing study | Green Bay Press Gazette

Prepare your fainting couch and get ready to clutch your pearls, because a study by Michael Lewis of Emory University ranks Cheeseheads as the NFL’s ninth best fan base, behind fans of (in order) the Cowboys, Patriots, Eagles, Giants, Steelers, Bears, Saints, and Broncos. Lewis’s analysis ranks teams based on three factors: fan equity (defined here), social equity (a team’s social media impact), and road equity (how well the fans travel). In the last measure, the Packers ranked 18th, between the New York Jets and Detroit Lions. Lewis doesn’t seem entirely sure what some of his own terms mean, so take his conclusions with a grain of salt. And if that’s not good enough, here’s a study by Forbes that says the Packers have the best fans, another study by Forbes that says Packers fans are second best, and a third “study” by some random guy who says Packers fans are tops.

Green Bay Packers Hoping Faith In Kevin King Pays Off | Forbes

In addition to their rookies, the Packers are also counting on Kevin King to make a leap this year. King’s 2017 was disappointing, but with a surgically repaired shoulder and a year of experience under his belt, he’ll look to put his size and athleticism to good use this year.

Packers WR battle: Davante Adams, and then whom for Aaron Rodgers? | Sporting News

The Packers have questions at wide receiver as well as the secondary. After releasing Jordy Nelson and replacing him with three late round draft picks, Vinnie Iyer wonders if the Packers have done enough to give Aaron Rodgers reliable targets.

Packers Should Make a Point to Throw to Ty Montgomery | Cheesehead TV

One underappreciated target could be Ty Montgomery, who has noteworthy receiving skills even as he continues his development as a running back. Chris Peterson suggests Montgomery should be a significant contributor in the passing game, an easy idea to get behind even if his projection of 50-60 catches seems a bit overly optimistic.

Mystery of the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy solved | Packers.com

Here’s a deep cut for NFL history buffs. Cliff Christl explores the extensive history of the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, the traveling prize given to NFL champions prior to the Lombardi Trophy. Enjoy a dive into an under-explored chapter of football history.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will be featured on ‘Shark Week’ | Packers Wire

Not a whole lot to explain here. Aaron Rodgers went swimming with sharks and his swim with the deep sea predators will be featured on the annual Discovery Channel “Shark Week” event.