Clearly, I like to write. Normally, I write too much. They say that the more you write, the less skilled of a writer you are because you can't express what you want to say effectively enough. You know what I think about that? Baloney. The reason I write a lot is because I have a lot to write about. But I understand this philosophy and also understand the age we live in today...people don't want to sit on the same web page for ten minutes and read something because they get bored and want to move on to something new. It's safe to say that long attention spans did not make the transition from the old millennium very well. From now on, I will do my best to honor this new wave of short attention spans and write less in my blog posts. I'm doing this for a few reasons. For one, I'll be able to post more frequently, hopefully be more timely with my posts and I won't waste my life away sitting down for two hours at a time to blab about sports. Two, you guys won't get bored midway through my post and say eff it, I'm done with this whole reading thing.
I haven't been on here since the Packers dropped an extremely frustrating NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the freaking New York Giants, and I have little desire to speak about it. What's done is done, and the reasons for Green Bay losing at the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field are this: fumbling, dropped passes, missed opportunities and atrocious defense. It's as simple as that. No need to recap the game...we all saw what happened. The question now is: how do the Packers fix these problems? Well, I have a few answers.
Sure, it's fun going 15-1 during the regular season, rarely having to worry about playing in poor conditions, whipping the ball all over the field and getting away with playing awful defense week after week because of those reasons. But when football season enters January and the men are separated from the boys, it gets cold out. It gets windy out. It gets snowy/rainy out. You know what isn't easy to do in these conditions? Throw the football. Of course, unless, you're going up against the Packers defense. My point is that the Packers have been built to play in a dome...at least their offense is. Last season, they were able to get away with playing in frigid conditions twice against the Chicago Bears late in the season because of the play of the defense and the great depth it had. Not only this, but James Starks emerged and gave Green Bay a legitimate running game, making things easier on soon-to-be MVP Aaron Rodgers.
So what happened between the Packers' Super Bowl run and their second round playoff exit this season? In no particular order...for one, A.J. Hawk was resigned to a ridiculously lucrative 5-year deal instead of Nick Barnett, who clearly had a better year than Hawk. Starks wasn't healthy for a large portion of the season and leading into the playoffs, leaving Ryan Grant to carry the load. That ship has sailed. Nick Collins suffered what is looking more and more like a career ending injury (let's pray for him and the Packers that it isn't). The secondary suffered as a result and took far too many risks. The Packers didn't draft an outside linebacker to compliment Clay Matthews. Joe Philbin's son drowned in the Fox River. The team, which is part of a family-first organization, clearly lost it's focus and make mental mistakes we hadn't seen from them all season long.
The pain from the loss of Philbin's son will wear off, maybe Starks will return to the form he was in during last season's playoffs and Hawk may very well never be back in a Packer uniform, but the fact of the matter is that there are issues to fix, whether it be through the draft (likely) or free agency. Areas that need help, in order of importance:
1. Outside linebacker (pass rush)
2. Running back (running game)
3. Secondary (cornerback)
4. Defensive line (pass rush, stopping the run)
5. Quarterback (KIDDING, I KID)
The Packers had an opportunity in the last draft to take a guy like OLB Brooks Reed, who was key for the Houston Texans number one defense this season filling in for Mario Williams. They obviously didn't do it, but I don't think they make that same mistake again, assuming there is an outside linebacker deserving of a late first or early second round pick. From there, go down the list of needs and draft accordingly. Oh yeah. I put cornerback third on the list...allow for me to explain myself. I'm going out on a limb and saying that Nick Collins won't ever play professional football again. Therefore, I see Green Bay moving Chuck Woodson to the safety position opposite of Morgan Burnett, which leaves a spot open at corner. I don't think Sam Shields is ready to be the number two guy - I like the Packers keeping him as the nickel corner. Then with the d-line it's Raji, Pickett...and that's it. That's a bit of a problem. And I know I jokingly listed quarterback on the list of areas that need improvement, but hey. Matt Flynn is likely gone, leaving only Aaron Rodgers and Graham Harrell. It might be a good idea to take a flyer in the later rounds of the draft on a QB. Because Ted Thompson isn't a guy who usually makes a big splash in free agency, gear up for the draft, Packer fans. It might be the difference between Super Bowl...or bust.
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