This Packer's Team Was Not Built To Lay Down.

This Packer's Team Was Not Built To Lay Down.
( " Hello You Play To Win The Game " )

Since game 8 of this NFL season all the talk around the league has been can the super bowl champ's Green Bay Packers not only repeat but do it with an undefeated season. Now with a undefeated regular in eyesight ( 12&0 going into their game with the Oakland Raiders ) the talk has turn to should they even try. If they get to 14&0 with home field advantage through out the NFC playoff's would it be better to rest players ( aka the Manning led Colts of a few seasons ago ) or go the Patriots way and go all in and try and go for the undefeated season.

It blows me away how anyone could think a team should lay down ( and run away from perfection ) instead of embracing the very thought of reaching the ultimate goal that every team should strive for, being consider one of the greatest team's ever. The Packers are in position to do just that and I don't think this is a team that will bow down to the magnitude of the situation. In fact to a man they seem to embrace the ideal of what the possibility might mean for their team and the city of Green Bay WI. GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have built a team of winners, and while losing is part of the game I can't believe they would ever set up this team to lose a game on purpose just to avoid the pressures of greatness.

I borrowed a famous quote from former NFL head coach and now ESPN annalist Herm Edward " Hello You Play To Win The Game " enough said.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Aaron Rodgers Has The Three C's To Be A Great Quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers Has The Three C's To Be A Great Quarterback.
( Confident, Cockiness and Coolness under pressure )

Just when we through it could't get any better, Green Bay's super bowl MVP, championship belt wearing star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is showing teams around the NFL his 2010 drive to the super bowl was just a sample of things to come. Rodgers has started the 2011 season as hard as it might seem to believe even better than last season's remarkable march to the super bowl. Aaron has shown in the first quarter of the season, there's another gear to his game and has shifted it to the next level. In my opinion a QB needs the three C's ( confident, cockiness, and coolness under pressure ) to be an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Confident

A quarterback has to not only have confident in his-self, but also earn the confident of the GM, head coach, fans, and the players he's trying to lead. Rodgers has shown everyone inside and outside of the organization from day one confident was one thing he was not lacking. Call it rookie arrogance or letting anger of having to sit and wait while 22 other rookies were drafted before him in the 2005 draft get the best of him. Aaron spoke with a clam confident when interview after being drafted that he would make all the teams that past on him regret their decision.

Cockiness

I don't think you can be a great player in any sport let alone an elite quarterback in the NFL without having some kind of cockiness attacked to your personality. The great one's had it, Joe Montana had it,as did Troy Aikman, and Dan Marino showed that cockiness of an elite QB day one he step on an NFL field. Aaron Rodgers has that cockiness that it's takes to be great. He walks with that swagger that tell's his opponents, I'm good, you know it, now try to stop me. Cockiness without performance mean nothing in sports, in the early stages of his NFL career his performance has live up to his cockiness.

Coolness under pressure

To be a great quarterback in the NFL a quarterback has to have that coolness under pressure. That ability to slow a game down, know where he is in a game, and what it will take to win that game. From the first minute GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy informed Rodgers he would be replacing Packer's icon Brett Favre as their starting quarterback, it seem as if Rodgers had a coolness and calmness about himself that he was indeed ready to take on the task at hand. Even after facing the distain from fans and media when Favre out of the blue decided he wanted to end his brief retirement and get his old job back; when his GM an Coach had Handel it the only way they could by telling Favre he had to compete ( wink wink to get his job back, it was never going to happen ) show a coolness under pressure that had to make playing in an NFL game seem easy.

While it is way to early to put an hall of frame tag on Rodgers, it's very easy to see he has the three C's to get him there. his first three and a quarter season's as Green Bay's starting QB has been nothing short of remarkable knowing all he had to endure to get to where his is. The only thing I can tell fans on NFL football is don't blink, because we are seeing something special.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

where will Green Bay go in this year's draft?

Where will Green Bay go in this year's draft?

Linebacker.......offensive linemen.......running back

There's no doubt the Green Bay Packers have one of the most talented teams in the NFL, however even a Super Bowl champ has needs. The three positions Green Bay should address in this year's draft that could fill some glaring needs in my opinion are (outside linebacker, offensive line, and running back) to make an already solid team that much better. With Clay Matthews looking as if he's going to be a superstar pass rushing linebacker for years to come, the Packers could use someone on the other side ( aka the Pittsburgh steelers dynamic duo of Lamarr Woodley and James Harrison )
to take some of the pressure off Matthews being he's the Packers only true pass rusher.

The offensive line which showed some improvement last season, need's some upgrading. Aaron Rodgers Houdini like ability to escape on coming pass rushers made the line look better than they actually played. One only needs to take look at last season playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons to see help on the O-line might be needed. Given all the injuries the line has sustain the last few seasons and the need to keep Rodgers upright, offensive line should be Green Bay's # 1 priority.

I see running back as the easiest of the positions to fill. I know after last season you might wonder why I'm saying that? How much help the Packers need at running back depend's on how Ryan Grant come's back from his ankle injury. James Stark's showed in Green Bay's Super Bowl run last season that he is capable of taking over as the starting feature back in Green Bay's backfield; and Grant looked very strong before his injury. However if any one of theses two go's down it put to much pressure on the passing game, so I can see Packer's GM Ted Thompson looking at a running back early in this year's draft.

There's seem to be a lot of talent in this year's draft at all three position I just mention, so look for Green Bay to load up as this could help answer a lot of the questions surrounding next year's defending Super Bowl champion.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Destined For Greatness

Destined For Greatness

( Will Aaron Rodgers take that next step to NFL greatness? )

There is no such thing as a sure bet in pro football, however Aaron Rodgers just may be the closes thing to fast money as you can get. After three seasons as the starting Quarterback of the Green Bay Packers; Rodgers has gone from the guy who replace a Packer's living legend in Brett Favre, to possibly the most dangerous Quarterback in the NFL. With a strong pinpoint laser arm and feet nimble enough to someday get him an invite to appear on dancing with the stars, Rodgers has put the whole national football league on notice that he will be a force to deal with for years to come. After setting a NFL record by recording 4000 yards seasons in his first two years as a starting Quarterback and missing a third by less than a hundred yards. Rodgers did something his predecessor had not accomplished is his Hall Of Fame career ( win a Super Bowl MVP ) with his near perfect performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

One could see how it might easy for Rodgers to get caught up in all the hype that's been coming his way, after having just reach the pentacle of any young Quarterbacks's dreams. No only playing in and winning a Super Bowl Championship, but also taking home an MVP award to boot. However as most of us who tune in and witnessed on draft day 2005, Rodgers had that look and let it be known that he would not let any of the 20 teams who passed on him in the first round ever for get they under valued his talent. So after having in my opinion a Pro Bowl coming out season in 2008, Rodgers even had Chicago Bears fans who were counting the days until # 4 Retired; believing lighting was about to strike twice in Green Bay WI.

Rodgers not only proved to all cheesehead nation but also to a lot of NFL expert na- Sayers that Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy were right to give him the keys to the car. So after what has to now look to him like a small bump in the road on draft day, and after handling a Quarterback controversy that could have turn into an all out turf war with nothing but class. Aaron Rodgers who now has one championship belt around his waist, has put his self in a position to give the fans of Green Bay something they haven't seen in the team's story history, Back to Back Hall of Fame Quarterbacks.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Time For Healing To Start

ATime For Healing To Start

It's my hope somehow this blog reaches both; Brett Favre and the power to be in the front office of the Green Bay Packers, to let them know the time has come to put the past behind them, so the healing can begin.There's two sides to the game of Professional Football, there's the " Fun" side of the game we as Fans get to see a minimum of 20 weeks a year. The game itself, ( Td passes, Sacks, Interceptions, and the Punt and Kickoff return for touchdowns) this part of Professional Football even the casual Fan understands.Than there's, the ugly side of Professional Football, the " Business " side that even the most knowledgeable of Fans with an emotional attachment to their Team has a hard time grasping. (the hiring and firing of General Managers and Coaches, Players Contracts, Free Agency, and the very harsh reality of the " Business " side of Professional Football, when do you need to part ways with a beloved Superstar Player?

Now the Packers are not unique in this ugly side of Football ( Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott with the San Francisco 49's Emmett Smith with the Dallas Cowboys, Joe Namath with the New York Jets, and even Johnny Unitas with the Baltimore Colts). All Superstars, all Hall Of Famers, all parted ways with the Teams that made them famous. Not one of these Players wanted to leave their team's and many of their fans were very upset when the " Business " side of Football hit these Players. As a life long Green Bay Packer fan and a huge Brett Favre fan, the " Business " side of Football had a tremendous emotional effect on me.

I had mixed emotions on if the time had come to part ways with Brett; he had just missed a chance of going to a third Super Bowl. The team won 13 games, why now? We were so close! I got caught up in the " Fun " side of Football. Than I step back and look at it from a " Business " standpoint and it became clear, It Was Time! As close as they came to the Super Bowl, Brett did not fit the mode of the leader Ted Thompson or Mike McCarthy felt they needed to lead this Packer team. With this team being so young, you need a leader to lead by example ( attending mini camps, starting training camp on time, and just showing a commitment to wanting to be there) this was not the case with Brett.

This is where the " Business " side started to win me over, could see Brett still had a lot left in the tank, he was playing at a very high level in 2007. But on the other hand he was becoming a distraction to the team. We must remember 2007 was the end of the odyssey with Brett not the beginning. For 4 years leading up to the parting of the ways, all fans and the team herd from Brett was he didn't know if he wanted to play. I remember him crying at his press conference telling us he was retiring, that's when the " Business " side of Football reared it's ugly head. I knew Brett's days as a Green Bay Packer was over( very sad day ) and it was time to move on. Even when Brett wanted to un-retire, you could see Green Bay wanted no part of it.

As we have seen when Superstar Players are told it's time to move on, it's gets real personal. Fans across the State of Wisconsin had Brett's back, though he got a raw deal. There are fans who still think the Packers were 100% wrong in letting Brett go, and there's no way they will ever see past the " Fun " side of the game. I think both sides handle this situation horrendously!! Packer's management ( Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy ) showed no real confident in their decision to move past Brett. When they entertained the idea of bringing him back, they open a door that would be very difficult to close. You don't tell a Hall A Fame Quarterback he can come back, but he will have to compete for His job. It's his job or you move on!!!

Brett show little or no professionalism in how he handle his on again off again attitude about playing ( this went on for a few years ) football. He gave you the impression the Packers needed him more than he wanted to play for his team. I like to take this time to say, I am old school when it comes to sports. Veteran Superstar Players of Brett's stature having the right to go out on their own terms when it doesn't interfere with team progress. Brett took advantage of his aments popularity and Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy lack of history with fans of Green Bay; to gather support for his thinking he had more power than they did. Brett underestimated the " Business " side of the game, you can't back your team into a corner and think there won't be repercussion.

The time has come fro Brett and Packer's management to shake hand and move forward, so he can come back to Green Bay and retire and go to the Hall Of Fame as a Green Bay Packer. Both sides in the end got what they wanted, Brett got to play in the NFC North, got his payback. Packer's management got to build the team they wanted, won the Super Bowl proving they made the right " Business " decision. The Green Bay Packers are not the first and certainly will not be the last team to part way with a Hall Of Fame Player. And as we have seen with the Players mention in this blog, they all went back to and retire with the teams that made the Hall Of Famers. It's time for the " Fun " side of Football to take over in Green Bay, and make thing right for Brett, the Packers, and most certainly for the fans who want nothing more than the healing to begin.

Www.ajstakeonthenfl.blogspot.com

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Have the Packers geared up for that special run?

Have the Packers geared up for that special run?

The Green Bay Packers have the look of a team that's about to do something that will be talk about around Football for years to come. Have you ever had that feeling something special was about to happen? If there was ever a time to sit back and watch a Dynasty appear before your eyes this might be it, I'm here to tell all Cheesehead Nation, don't look away you might miss history in the making. Dynasty is such a scary tag to attach to a team; especially when it's so early in the team's rise to greatness.

The Packers have been built from the top down, to go on a 5 to 6 year run of being the Elite Team in the NFL. With that stature comes the pressure of being the hunted. In my opinion this Team has all the key Players in place to handle any of the pressures that will come their way. Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have the making of a dynamic duo at the forefront of what could be a very special Team for years to come. They have a Quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who has not yet touch the Surface of his full potential as a Superstar QB in the NFL!

The Defensive and Offensive units look to have nothing but a huge upside. If there's one area for concern, it's the special Team's, but with all the Players coming back from the injury reserve it will probably take care of itself. So we have a very good Offense, a very good Defense, a special Team's that has a great chance to get better. Leadership at the top pulling all the right stings, and a Coach who seem to be focus and determine to not be a one hit wonder. Now, the Green Bay Packers do pass the eye test, they look good from top to bottom, but as we have seen with other Teams that missed their chance at greatness; most of the time they got in their own way.

The one ace in the hole the Green Bay Packers have going for them that no other Team in the NFL has, to keep them grounded.The Fans and the City of Green Bay Wisconsin. Green Bay with a population of about 100,000 people, has a way of making you humble, not many places to hide in a City of that size. With the Packers being the only publicly own franchise in the NFL, and most of the stock holders living in Green Bay; it's easy to see how getting out of the public eye might be hard. The school bus driver who drives their kids to school could live two blocks away from them, the local Postman could be their next door neighbor. The neighbor kids who babysit's their children, probably have parents who own stock in the Team.There's just a unique relationship between the Team and Fans in Green Bay that's very hard to duplicate.

There's always a chance what I'm saying is just a bunch of malarkey, and the Packers will fall by the wayside like other Teams poised for greatness have done before them. But this Green Bay Packers Team like few we have seen before, has the look of a Team that will be very hard to keep out of NFL History Books.

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The growth of a coach

The growth of a coach

I've been a Green Bay Packer fan for over 40 years, and this is the first time in all of those years that I have been happy to be wrong about a coach. When Mike McCarthy was first hire as head coach, I like most Packers fans had no real clue who he was. I went to the 49ers media guild to find out something about this guy. I thought Ted Thompson had just lost his mind, how could he hire a guy no one heard of for this team. We had a great quarterback who's going to the hall of fame, there were other parts in place too that had me wondering, why give my team to an unknown? When coach McCarthy was introduce to us fans, you could see he had something, what, you just didn't know.

The first thing I needed to know was how would he get along with Brett, did he have the stones to coach him? We found out early he had what it took. He had no problem pointing out Brett's short comings as his quarterback, that got him off on the wrong foot with a lot of fans(me included). The bottom line, he was right and we were wrong, a coach is the head of a team, the quarterback is one of it's leader.

He had to take control of his team, and sometimes you need to start at the top. Brett had a lot of years doing things his way and it really wasn't working. Yes he won a lot of games, but he lost a lot of big games with Brett being Brett ( New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears twice in 07. I know it's not right to put a loss on one man,But all you need to do is remember with your head and not your heart and you will see I might be right. Brett will always be a hero in Green Bay and around the NFL, but his unwillingness to change and get on the same page with his coaches and team mates cost the Packers, big games.

It's became apparent very early there was a power struggle between coach and quarterback, something had to give. Now as a fan it's hard to watch a great marriage come to a end, but there was no way this was going to work without both party's parting ways. It wasn't that Brett had lost it or could not play at very high level, he just could not play for coach McCarthy. I think both Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson wish this had ended better for Brett , the Packers, and the fans who had to sit back and watch it unfold in front of us.

Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy took a huge gamble letting Brett go after a 13&3 season and just missing a chance to play in the Super Bowl. But they knew something none of us had even thought was possible,they could make this team better. By moving past Brett they show the rest of the team they were in control of the team, and coach McCarthy would be calling the shots(good or bad from now on)Now enters the biggest piece to the puzzle Aaron Rodgers, a man in a very bad spot, he had to replace a living legend, how hard can that be?

We can't forget, Brett did say he wasn't coming back( yes I know they really did not want him back ) so they moved on with Rodgers and no one was happy. Fans calling for Ted&Mike's head on a patter, hated Aaron for just being the next man in line. Now coach had his quarterback and the team seem to be ok with it. Just as Mike Hologram&Ron Wolf tied their self's to Brett, Mike McCarthy&Ted Thompson did the same with Aaron( how can you not love that kind of leadership at the top ) made me think back to how it was before Ron&Mike got here.

Remember that old saying be careful what you wish for, you just might get it, that's exactly what happen to Mike McCarthy. He wanted his own team,that he could put his own stamp on( I know. He had players from the old regime but it was going to be his way) as we have seen in the past it all start with a quarterback who has the potential to be great. Who knew when they drafted this guy late in the first round he would be that guy. Ted did. you don't pick a QB in the first round unless you think he will start for your team one day. Mike saw Aaron had that "it factor"that it take's to win in the NFL, there's a lots of QB's with strong arms, guys with great legs, some with both, but without that "it factor" they just can't win when you need it. Aaron proved to Ted&Mike with his hard work and that big chip on shoulder that he didn't just want to play good, he wanted to be great. In hind sight sound simple, but we all know that wasn't the case.

While his quarterback had outstanding seasons in 2008&2009, Mike McCarthy's haters were everywhere. He could have been like a lot of bad coaches we have seen over the years, take everything said about him personally, cry to the press that he was being treated unfairly by them and the fans... The only thing we saw was a coach talk positively about his team and where they were going. I'll be the first one to say I had a problem with his playing calling in the red zone. But the one thing I didn't question was that this coach had the attention of his team. He had instilled in these guys he was there for one reason to win, and he would work as hard as them to get it done!

The 09 season I think help ease some of the tension between coach McCarthy and fans, not all, some fans will never get over #4 not being part of the Packer family. I though you could see a more confident coach in 2010, he knew he had a good team, and didn't care that people knew he loved his team's chances to win it all. But like with all great plans, he saw bad injury after bad hit his team, not one time did he make an excuse or ask any fans to feel sorry for his team. All he said was "next man up"( the growth of a coach) he didn't let his players off the hook by saying how hard it might be to win games without key players. What I watch this team do over the last 8 games of the season was nothing of short of remarkable. Yes I know we lost to Detroit and New England, if not for those losses they never make that run. We saw a coach grow up right before our eyes, he let the whole football world and anyone who would listen to him know he had a championship team. I know as a fan I love his grit. Through out the whole playoff run, even the Super Bowl he only talked of winning, not I think we can win, he said the only reason we're here is to win and take the Lombardi trophy home! It took a few years and some thick skin but I think we might have witness the growth of maybe one of the best coaches in football

ONLY TIME WILL TELL

Ajjones

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