Surviving Sunday: Packers News, Notes and Links for the Football Deprived
Surviving Sundays with no Packers football
Packers training camp opened Friday and we now have plenty of Packers storylines to analyze and break down. That means today’s “Surviving Sunday” will be the last until the Packers 2014 season comes to an end, hopefully after Feb. 1 and a victory in Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona.
Now that training camp has started, what Packers storyline would you like to see go the way of “Surviving Sunday ” and disappear for the rest of the season?
I’m sick of talking about the defense. I mean really sick of it.
I’m sick of hearing about how bad Packers’ safeties were last season. I’m sick of being worried about having to watch A.J. Hawk for another season. I’m sick of speculation about B.J. Raji ever being a useful player again. I’m sick of wondering if Nick Perry will ever stay healthy. I’m sick of Clay Matthews’ thumb (and his damn hamstring) and I’m sick of trying to figure out if Dom Capers is a good defensive coordinator or not.
The sooner the Packers defense improves, the happier my life will be. I’m not asking for the Packers D to morph into the second coming of the Purple People Eaters or the Steel Curtain, but show enough promise that fans can have reasonable hope that the defense could catch fire late in the season and ignite a Super Bowl run.
That seems to be the formula for success in today’s NFL: Have a good to great quarterback who goes on a run late in the season and back that up with a good defense that heats up as the weather turns cold.
If I have to put up with #FireCapers hashtags and another season of bumbling play from the middle of the defense, it’s going to be a trying season.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- Now that I’m done ranting, we can get to some happier news, like the Packers signing Jordy Nelson to a 4-year, $39 million contract extension. I see Nelson as a Cris Carter type of receiver. He has very good physical ability, but stretches those physical tools even further by catching anything he can reach and always thinking a step or two ahead of the defense.
- The next Packers player due for an extension is Randall Cobb. I’m thinking the Packers might wait a bit before upping their offer to Cobb for two reasons: 1) He’s a smallish guy and the Packers might not be convinced he’s durable enough to warrant a contract like Nelson’s. He missed most of last season and also was hobbled at the end of 2012 with a knee injury. 2) Perhaps the Packers want to see what Jared Abbrederis can do before sinking a bunch of money into Cobb. Can Abbrederis — also a smallish slot WR — do a lot of the same things Cobb can do? The Packers might view Cobb as not worth his asking price if Abbrederis can do many of the same things at a similar level of production.
- The Ol’ Bag of Donuts boys get you ready for Packers training camp with a new podcast. If you’re not ready for Packers training camp yet, you will be after listening to this.
- Mike Neal and Nick Perry started camp on the physically unable to perform list. It wouldn’t be Packers training camp without one of these two players injured. This year, they’re both injured, so it’s a double bonus.
- If you’re looking to join a live discussion during Packers practices, check out the live threads hosted by Acme Packing Co.
- If you’re a Debbie Downer, be sure to read Zach Kruse’s 10 reasons for concern as the Packers open camp. All are legit concerns, but all can be overcome if Rodgers’ collar bone stays in one piece.
Non Packers links and other nonsense
- Ravens RB Ray Rice was suspended two games for knocking out his wife in an elevator. In other words, he got less of a suspension than he would have received if he took a performance enhancing drug. Everyone is outraged about this slap on the wrist for a serious offense, but until people stop watching football, stop filling stadiums, quit buying merchandise and disconnect themselves from the NFL, don’t expect anything to change.
- Cliff Lee ended a recent postgame media session by ripping a loud fart. That’s exactly how Mike McCarthy should start and end his media session if the Packers get manhandled in the opener against the Seahawks.
- Some people might find Lee’s fart gross and offensive. It was nowhere near as gross and offensive as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith opining about Ray Rice and domestic violence.
- While I might agree with a lot of the points made in this Jezebel piece about how the NFL views women, the name-calling and hyperbole used by the author will do nothing to actually address the issue. In fact, overly emotional and sophomoric pieces like this make the issue worse, not better. And it just screams of an egotistical author saying, “Hey, look at me! I’m using big naughty words to show off how angry and clever I can be at the same time! Check me out, Internet! I’m just as mad as you are! Grrrrr!” Annoying.
- The drummer for Primus — one of the coolest bands of all time — had a heart attack last week. But there’s good news, he had successful open-heart surgery this week and is on the path to recovery.
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