February 9, 2014 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
The other day I was playing Front Office Football 7 when I realized that I’d fit right in as an NFL owner.
Front Office Football 7 (FOF 7) is a management simulation (I’ve written about similar games in this space before) that puts you in control of an NFL franchise. But instead of mashing buttons and controlling players on the field like you would in Madden on the PS4 or XBox1, you call all the shots behind the scenes. You’re sort of a hybrid version of Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones.
Want to take control of the Packers and see what happens if you ditch draft and develop and sign a bunch of free agents every offseason? Want to see if the Dallas Cowboys could actually make the playoffs with competent management? Want to take control of the Jacksonville Jaguars and see if you can remake their roster into a contender? It’s possible with FOF 7.
I like to use my brain more than my thumbs when playing sports games, and FOF 7 makes that possible. There are other football simulations on the market, but FOF 7 is the only career-based option. In FOF 7, your career lasts as long as you want it to (assuming you don’t get fired), putting you in control of the draft, free agency, hiring and firing of coaches, setting ticket prices, managing depth charts, designing gameplans and pretty much everything associated with running a football team.
It’s an incredibly immersive experience (I don’t call it a game, I call it an experience) and the perfect way to get through these next seven depressing months without Packers football. The FOF franchise has been around for a long time, but FOF 7 was just released a couple of months ago. It’s the first new version to come out since 2007, and the upgrades and improvements are instantly noticeable.
Anyway, the other day I was playing, and at the point in the offseason where you set ticket prices, I caught myself not caring whatsoever about my (pretend) fans. I just jacked those ticket prices sky high. I was coming off an appearance in the NFC Championship game and fan “loyalty” had increased substantially.
“Let’s see how loyal you fans really are,” I thought to myself. “Are you loyal enough to pay $10 more per ticket to sit in the nosebleed section?”
The game also allows you to ask for public funding to build a new stadium. If the proposal fails, you’re allowed to move the team somewhere else. Depending on how cold-hearted I feel in future game years, I might ask the voters of Green Bay to replace Lambeau Field with the Wisconsin version of the Jerry Dome, and if they deny me, I’ll take away their beloved Packers and relocate them to Los Angeles.
Yup, I’d fit right in as an NFL owner.
I’d definitely do better as an owner than I would as a general manager. Drafting is hard! I seem to have success drafting offensive lineman in early rounds, but I completely whiff on finding gems at other positions later in the draft. And not long after I jacked up ticket prices and made the NFC title game, both of my starting CBs and my second best WR decided to hold out for new contracts.
The worst is when one of your players goes down with an obscure injury or condition. I lost my starting left tackle for a few games once because he was dealing with tobacco withdrawal syndrome.
(Update: Turns out I wouldn’t be able to manage the salary cap if I were a real-life GM either. I just lost a future third-round draft pick because I was over the cap heading into training camp. I had to cut my punter so I wouldn’t lose another draft pick. Doh!)
Anyway, this is the third offseason that I’ll be doing a Surviving Sunday column to help you get through the NFL offseason. It probably takes about 5 minutes to read this column every Sunday, so that means you have to try and kill the other 10,075 minutes each week before Packers football starts again.
Front Office Football 7 will make that time fly by. Check it out.
Packers notes and thoughts
- The Packers won’t be bringing back assistant special teams coach Chad Morton. So the Packers have signed a free agent fullback and canned a special teams assistant this offseason. Talk about an organizational shake-up.
- Tickets for Packers games are going up in price…again. Raising ticket prices always comes with a public relations hit, but until people stop buying them, Packers ticket prices won’t be coming down any time soon.
- Nick Collins wants to play again and John Rehor has a few thoughts over at Packerstalk.com. Hasn’t Collins said all along that he wants to play? I don’t think this is a new revelation, but I could be wrong. If Collins is somehow cleared to play, I don’t think it will be by the Packers. Jason Wilde also landed an interview with Collins.
- As long as you’re at Packerstalk.com, check out all of the available podcasts. New podcasts from various members of the Packers online community are going up on a regular basis. It’s the best way to stay up to date on the Packers during the offseason. The entire crew over there just put up an offseason megashow and it’s a must-listen for any Packers fan.
- Jermichael Finley says he’s ready to play, either for the Packers or another team. I’m really curious to see how many offers Finley gets on the open market? My hunch is he’ll sign a one-year deal somewhere, hope to remain healthy and productive, then cash in during free agency in 2015.
- It’s mock draft season. Yay. Can you see how excited I am? Doug Farrar at SI.com has the Packers taking Oklahoma St. cornerback Justin Gilbert with the 21st overall pick. Personally, I think the Packers would select Louisville free safety Calvin Pryor before they took Gilbert, but if Thompson sees more long-term value in Gilbert, he won’t hesitate to take him.
Non-Packers news, notes and other nonsense
- The makers of Out of the Park Baseball announced that they are working on a football game for 2015. FOF 7 will finally have some competition and I can’t want to see what the Out of the Park developers come up with for a football game.
- This quote from Hunter S. Thompson sums up how I feel about the NFL offseason, and is yet another reason to read Surviving Sunday and play Front Office Football 7.
- I got my car stuck in a snowbank for 3 hours on Monday morning. But Monday was still a great day because it was announced that this tour is coming to First Ave in May.
- Here’s how a record corn crop makes for a better Super Bowl Sunday.
- Cookie dough is my favorite food. I also enjoy Oreos. Cookie dough Oreos may be the death of me.
- Be sure to read Jeff Pearlman’s in-depth story about the 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey team — the team that had to try and follow the Miracle on Ice from 1980.
September 1, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
Well, Packers fans, since the 2013 NFL season starts next Sunday, this is the last Surviving Sunday of the year.
NFL football games that actually matter will be keeping us occupied for the next 20 weeks or so, and there won’t be a need for 800-word posts wrapping up the news of the week and mixing in my ramblings about pro wrestling, video games, concussions, the media or whatever other tangent I like to go off on.
As always, thanks for reading. Hopefully the next Surviving Sunday isn’t published until Feb. 9, 2014, the Sunday after the Packers win Super Bowl XLVIII.
Roster cuts
All of the Packers roster cuts are in and there were a few surprises: 1) Vince Young is gone. I thought his ability to run and at least have a chance to make a play every now and then would save him, but I thought wrong. Now who’s going to back up Aaron Rodgers? Your guess is as good as mine. 2. Tyrone Walker didn’t make the team. I suppose that’s not really too big of a surprise, but he had a nice camp and I liked what I saw. Alex Green getting cut wasn’t much of a surprise. Starks has more pop than Green and is just a better back. You can’t play the injury card on Starks when comparing the two, either, because Green has injury issues of his own.
Tramon is back
Tramon Williams returned in Thursday’s preseason finale and had an interception on the Chiefs’ first pass. I’m not worried at all about Williams’ pass coverage. Sure, he gets beat more often than he did in 2010, but the good far outweighs the bad when Williams drops back in coverage. What I need to see from Williams is toughness. The 49ers will look at film of the 2012 Packers this week, see Williams retreat when a run comes his way, and start licking their chops. Williams needs to be a tougher tackler this season. Plain and simple.
Kuuuuuuuhn!
Remember when we all thought John Kuhn might get cut? Turns out his job in the Packers’ backfield might be the safest of all the running backs not named Eddie Lacy. Jonathan Franklin — drafted to possibly play a role on third down — has flopped so far. Worst of all, he looks totally lost as a pass-blocker and likely won’t see the field until he improves. Once again, Kuhn will be the Packers go-to back on third down passing situations. Now, all we need to do is get our hands on a Packers playbook and remove the page that contains the Kuhn fullback dive in short yardage situations.
Crosby doesn’t get cut, his paycheck does
Mason Crosby won’t be buying the bar a round any time in the near future. The Packers K took a pay cut and now has an incentive-based contract, further upping the pressure he faces heading into the season. Pressure on Crosby is a good thing, in my opinion. The Packers didn’t really have anyone else to bring in and push Crosby when he struggled in 2012, and who knows if the viable alternatives will be gone again if Crosby struggles early this season. A little financial pressure might be the best kind of pressure to apply.
Concussion lawsuit settled
The NFL will pay $765 million to 4,500 former players over 20 years to settle concussion litigation. For a league that is projected to rake in $10 billion just this season, that sounds like a clear victory for The Shield. Don’t get me wrong, $765 million is a lot of money. But when you consider the PR nightmare and the potential for other problems that comes with having concussions and lawsuit news overshadowing the actual game, it’s chump change. Here’s hoping the lives of former players suffering from concussion-related problems are improved in some way by the money they will be receiving from the settlement. And here’s hoping the NFL continues its recent push of taking head injuries more seriously.
Packers awful preseason
The Packers scored just 37 points this preseason and looked helpless on offense when Rodgers wasn’t in the game. My wife asked me if I was worried about the 49ers game because of how awful the Packers looked in exhibition games. I said no, I wasn’t worried because of how the Packers played in preseason, but I was worried because the 49ers are a damn good football team. I’m also a little worried about the Packers’ depth. It’s a team that’s already beat up and has had to tap into its reserve players before the season has even started. If David Bakhtiari goes down, then what? If Morgan Burnett’s hamstring injury is serious, then what? If one of Lacy’s several past injuries flares up, are we ready for Alex Green and James Starks again? Who in the hell plays center in Evan Dietrich-Smith gets hurt?
Season prediction
I’m burying my Packers season prediction at the bottom of this post because it likely will be wrong, anyway. I’ll explain my reasoning in a future post, but for now, here it is: 10-6, NFC North champs, divisional round playoff loss.
August 25, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
Graham Harrell cut
Somebody alert the Minnesota Vikings, another Packers player has hit the open market. Reports are out there that Graham Harrell is getting cut, meaning Vince Young has won the Packers’ backup QB job. The Packers are effed if Vince Young needs to play for an extended stretch of games, but probably not as effed as they would’ve been with Harrell. I thought Harrell would come around to at least be a Matt Flynn type of backup, but obviously, I was wrong. His accuracy went from bad to worse, and that ultimately did him in.
Knowledge of offense?
The only thing Harrell had going for him was his knowledge of the offense. I suppose it would be nice for Aaron Rodgers to have a backup that is familiar with the offense and can offer insight when needed, but that knowledge didn’t make up for Harrell’s poor play. Besides, the Packers have a QB coach, offensive coordinator, head coach and who knows how many other people that know this offense just as well, if not better than Rodgers. If Vince Young is playing catchup in the classroom, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.
Meat wagon makes the rounds at Lambeau
Five more Packers were struck down with injuries in Friday’s loss to the Seachickens. Casey Hayward, Brad Jones, Morgan Burnett and Jarvis Reed left the game on defense. On offense, DuJuan Harris re-injured his knee. Of the five, Burnett worries me the most. Who’s going to play safety if Burnett is on the shelf?
Sherrod’s family speaks
Since the Packers and Derek Sherrod aren’t providing any updates on why it’s taking so long for the big tackle to return from a broken leg, Bob McGinn contacted Sherrod’s family to try and learn more about what’s going on. Turns out Sherrod has had to deal with many challenges on his road to recovery. I don’t get why the Packers and/or Sherrod have been so secretive about the injury and recovery process. I get that all teams are paranoid about releasing injury news, but what good has that paranoia done the Packers in Sherrod’s case? All it’s done is frustrated the fan base and caused some misguided people to question Sherrod’s work ethic or toughness as he tries to return.
Walker making the final 53
It’s tough to not root for undrafted rookie Tyrone Walker to make the Packers final roster. Jordy Nelson said this week that he may not be back for the opener against San Francisco, and Randall Cobb is still bothered by a bicep injury. Could that open the door for the speedy kid from Illinois State? Walker didn’t catch a pass on Friday night. Might that hurt his chances?
A breakout season for Finley?
Both the local and national media — and many Packers players and coaches — are telling us that this this will be the year for Jermichael Finley to break out. It’s not much different from what we hear about Finley every preseason, but national media seems to really be buying into it this time around. Finley caught two of the six passes thrown his way on Friday. He also dropped a pass from Graham Harrell and failed to reel in a tough grab in the end zone. To me, it sounds like Finley is about right on track with what he’s been most of his career: Moments of brilliance mixed with frustration.
Podcasts, podcasts and more podcasts
With all the good Packers podcasts out there, there is absolutely no reason for you to be bored on your commute to work. On this week’s No Huddle Radio, Jason Perone, Chad Toporski and yours truly captivate the audience with discussions on Eddie Lacy, Nick Perry and the Packers backup QBs. There are all kinds of other quality podcasts to check out over at The Packers Talk Radio Network.
August 18, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers
Packers beat Rams
The Packers got an exhibition win over the Rams on Saturday night. I didn’t get a chance to watch the game, but here is what I gathered about the Packers’ performance from those Tweeting while watching: First-team offense looks good, Johnny Jolly took a giant step forward, Micah Hyde has promise, Eddie Lacy is big and tough, the Packers don’t have a kicker, pass-rush from players on the first-team defense not named Clay Matthews isn’t there, D.J. Williams keeps dropping passes. For a more in-depth recap of the game, be sure to check out Jersey Al’s post.
Williams ready for week 1?
Out with a knee bruise since July 30, cornerback Tramon Williams said he should be ready for the season-opener against the 49ers. Of course, in the same interview, Williams also said he thought he’d be back by now. Never trust a player’s timetable for returning from an injury. Players always claim that the injury “isn’t that bad” or “should only take a couple of days.” They’re rarely right. I’m no doctor myself, but given how cautious the Packers are with injuries, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Williams misses at least the 49ers game.
Woodson praises Rodgers
Former Packers defensive back Charles Woodson doesn’t understand why Greg Jennings and Donald Driver were questioning Aaron Rodgers’ leadership lately. As soon as Jennings started spouting off, I remembered an interview Rob Demovsky — former Packers beat writer with the Green Bay Press Gazette and now at ESPN — did on Packer Transplants where he called the Packers wide receiving corp “the biggest group of frontrunners he’s ever been around.” It’s scary how I remembered that quote, but it’s looking more and more like Mr. Demovsky was spot on.
Grading Packers’ rookies
Here’s a nice report card of the Packers rookies’ through three weeks of training camp. If I was the teacher, I’d probably put tackle David Bakhtiari and Datone Jones at the top of the class. I don’t think any parents need to be called in for a special conference yet.
Greene invents a new word
Outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene thinks Mike Neal has the ability to play both on the defensive line and as an outside linebacker. Greene even invented a new word — “explosibility” — to describe Neal’s game. I suppose Neal has a shot to make this work if they only use him as a pass rusher when he stands up outside. But if they ever ask him to drop into coverage, God help us all. To me, Neal is at his best when operating on the interior of the defensive line. He’s slimmed down to about 275 pounds now, which means moving him back inside full time probably would be tricky. Nightmare scenario: Clay Matthews gets hurt, leaving Nick Perry and Neal to play outside linebacker. Perry and Neal both drop into coverage at the same time. The world ends…
Packers depth slipping
Brian Carriveau over at Cheesehead TV says the Packers quality of depth is deteriorating, and on the surface, he’s right. Depth and getting hot in December and January are the keys to winning in today’s NFL (along with a stud QB, of course), and right now, it’s tough to say that the back end of the Packers roster is filled with quality depth. But how many times have we not considered a Packers player “quality” just because we’ve never heard of him, or he has no previous professional track record to stand on? I’m guilty of falling into this trap myself. Give the Packers depth some time to finish camp and develop. I bet a lot of these guys will turn into quality as long as injuries don’t press them into duty before they’re ready.
News and Notes
- Registration is open for Throwback Weekend III, Oct. 19-20 when the Packers play the Browns. My wife is set to give birth to our first kid on Oct. 5, so doubtful I’ll be there. But don’t let that stop you from attending. It’s a great time and I can’t recommend it enough.
- Randall Cobb’s arm hurts. Cobb’s durability has always worried me. He’s not a big man, and he was obviously hobbled at the end of last season.
- Mike McCarthy views DuJuan Harris as his No. 1 running back. Now that Harris has finally returned to practice, we’ll see if he’s still the No. 1 a few weeks from now.
- Marques Eversoll, Thomas Hobbes and Jason Perone had Green and Gold Today co-host Bill Johnson on No Huddle Radio this week. Be sure to check out the other podcasts this week from the Packers Talk Radio Network.
- I know this is off-topic, but I can’t help myself. Those of you that have read Surviving Sunday throughout the offseason know that I enjoy playing general manager simulation games like Out of the Park Baseball and Fast Break Pro Basketball 2013. I stumbled across a different type of sim this week — Title Bout Championship Boxing. If you’re a fan of the Sweet Science, check it out. It’s a fun game.
August 4, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
Another week of Packers training camp is in the books. Is it Sept. 8 yet?
Finley pipes down
I’ve never been one of those people who gets all bent out of shape whenever Jermichael Finley says something that stirs the pot — I’ll take honesty and candor over canned cliches any day. But it looks like Finley is at least trying the cliche route…for now. Will a boring Finley in front of the microphones lead to a more exciting Finley on the football field? I don’t think one has anything to do with the other. If Finley becomes a force at tight end, it won’t be because he zipped his lips during training camp. Besides, if he does finally break out, people would probably be more tolerant of whatever does come out of his mouth.
Hawk OK with pay cut
Calling it “more of an ego thing than anything that guys can’t get over,” LB A.J. Hawk spoke about taking a pay cut this offseason in order to stay with the Packers. After the slash in pay, Hawk is due to make $10.6 million over the final three years of his deal. That sounds like more than enough money for a guy who rarely makes impactful plays. It’s good to hear Hawk speak openly about taking a cut and being a team guy, but deep down, even he has to know that there probably wasn’t another team out there that would be willing to pay him over $10 million. It’s still a great deal for Hawk, and the Packers obviously think it’s a fair price for a LB that hasn’t made many flash plays, but is healthy and ready to go every Sunday.
Bakhtiari making a move
We’ve been hearing nothing but good things about David Bakhtiari. There are even rumblings that he might end up winning the starting right tackle job. The rookie from Colorado appears to be plenty athletic to be the kind of pass protector the Packers like. And with Marshall Newhouse being, well, Marshall Newhouse, and Don Barclay horsing around at backup center, perhaps the window is open for the rookie to win the job. But remember: We haven’t made it to the first exhibition game yet. All rookies are getting loved up right now because they’re new, they’re fresh, their ceilings are perceived to be high and we don’t know their shortcomings yet.
WRs battle royal
Where’s Vince McMahon when you need him? The battle royal to become the Packers Nos. 4, 5 or 6 WR is going strong with Jarrett Boykin likely taking the lead after a couple of nice plays during Friday night’s team session. Jeremy Ross also probably has an edge because of his return ability, but after muffing a key punt in the playoff loss to the 49ers, Ross has also let a few punts bounce off his hands in camp. Of the other candidates, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Charles Johnson intrigues me.
Packers Family Night: Last night was the Packers annual intra-squad scrimmage. The kicking competition turned out to be the highlight of the evening, but not for a good reason. Read about that and other happenings from our own Jersey Al’s First Impressions and Cheesehead TV’s Zach Kruse’s Quick Hits. You can read some comments from Crosby, McCarthy and Tavecchio in this article on Packersnews.com.
Other notes
- It was encouraging to read reports about Eddie Lacy looking tough in short-yardage situations. No more quick handoffs to John Kuhn on 3rd and 1 would be a very good thing.
- Randall Cobb is dropping a few balls in practice. People are getting wound up. He’d get a case of the dropsies every now and then last season too. It’s something Cobb needs to work on, but I don’t think we need to worry too much about it.
- Ted Thompson spoke about Brett Favre this week. I agree with John Rehor: This reconciliation needs to move forward sooner rather than later.
- Congratulations to Dave Robinson on going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame!
July 28, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
Now that Packers training camp is underway, Surviving Sunday is shifting gears a bit.
Gone is the lengthy opening column where I wax poetic about a topic that may or may not relate to the Packers. Also gone are the non-Packers links to non-sports items and other nonsense.
Starting now, Surviving Sunday will be 100 percent focused on the Packers and all the happenings from the previous week’s training camp practices and exhibition games. With training camp in full gear, the Packers are getting serious about the 2013 NFL season. It’s time for Surviving Sunday to get serious, too.
Aches and pains
Before the first practice even started, there were several Packers standing on the sidelines, injured. Perhaps the Packers need to fire their medical staff and just hire a bunch of people who work at a Fed Ex store and specialize in using bubble wrap to protect delicate items.
Here is the list of the walking wounded: DL/OLB Mike Neal (abdomen), CB Casey Hayward (hamstring), RB DuJuan Harris (knee), T Derek Sherrod (leg), DL Jerel Worthy (knee), OL J.C. Tretter (ankle), S Sean Richardson (neck), CB Davon House (illness) and LB Jamari Lattimore (illness).
Neal and Hayward hurt themselves training on their own and were surprise injuries (although, I’m not sure how surprising it should be any more when Neal turns up injured). It sounds like Hayward and Harris should both be out a week or two, but who knows.
Depending how long Harris is out, it could open up the door for Alex Green or James Starks to A) stay on the team and/or B) impress in camp and move up the depth chart.
If those injuries weren’t enough, rookie WRs Charles Johnson, Kevin Dorsey and Sederrik Cunningham also went down on the first days of practice. Someone needs to make a sacrifice to the football Gods so they show a little mercy on our favorite team. (Update: Sounds like Johnson will be fine.)
Drama and gossip
Aaron Rodgers’ first news conference of camp sounded more like a group of high school kids catching up on the latest gossip than a football media session. Rodgers addressed the Ryan Braun/PED situation — saying “it doesn’t feel great being lied to” — and basically dismissed the recent barbs Greg Jennings sent his way from across the border in Minnesota.
I understand that Rodgers needed to address these items, but here’s hoping that kind of stuff goes away now. I don’t care at all about the Rodgers/Braun relationship or whatever new soundbite Jennings provides the Minnesota media. I want to hear Rodgers talk about scheming against a cover-2 or what he thinks of some of his younger WRs, not his buddies who fib about HGH or ex-teammates trying to remain relevant by taking shots at the former MVP.
Mix tape
If you could make a mix tape for the Packers to practice to, what songs would you put on it?
If you come up with a good playlist, get in touch with Packers coach Mike McCarthy. The head coach is simulating TV timeouts and blaring music over the PA system during practice as a strategy for reducing injuries. It’s one of many things McCarthy said he’s trying to do to turn around his team’s recent stretch of bad injury luck.
We won’t know if any of McCarthy’s ideas make an impact until later this season and beyond, but I’m cool with the coach trying some new things.
My mix tape would contain a lot of Slayer, Mastodon, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Those bands would get the softness out of the Packers’ defense in a hurry and turn their offensive line into a five-man destruction crew. Then again, maybe they’d be too wound up after hearing “Raining Blood” during practice and would start hitting each other harder, leading to even more injuries (and deaf players and coaches).
Positive injury news?
It sounds like Derek Sherrod may be making progress after sitting out the last 19 months with a terrible leg injury. Is this a ray of hope among all the doom and gloom Packers’ injury news?
I’ll believe Sherrod is making progress when he actually suits up for practice. Even then, how much can we expect from a guy who’s been out for nearly two years? I’m rooting for Sherrod because he seems like a good kid and the Packers could use all the help they can get on the line, but let’s not get too excited about a first-day-of-camp report.
In other offensive line news, Don Barclay is playing some center and struggled a bit snapping the ball to Aaron Rodgers on Saturday. It also appears that Marshall Newhouse is the No. 1 right tackle, for now.
Other Notes
- McCarthy singled out DB Micah Hyde for praise after the first day of practice. There are rumblings that the rookie from Iowa might be battling Jarrett Bush for a roster spot. We’ll see how that shakes out as camp continues.
- With all the injuries to the WRs, could the Packers give Donald Driver a call? James Jones says Driver might have the itch to keep playing. Nonetheless, Driver looked and played an old WR last season, and even with the injuries, I can’t see him helping the Packers much.
- Some other things worth reading from this week: Jayme Snowden on Johnny Jolly and addiction; John Rehor on the Packers running game — his first piece for 620WTMJ.com; No Huddle Radio tackles the top 10 Packers training camp topics; Brian Carriveau leads a crew of Packers and NFL analysts in previewing the Packers.
- The Packers have their first padded practice this morning. Now things will start to get even more serious. Keep visiting ALLGBP.com for all the latest Packers information as training camp progresses and real football approaches.
July 14, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays With No Packers Football
Packers training camp is only a few weeks away, which means it’s time to get excited.
And worry.
Any good fan worries. It’s normal. You get excited about all the possibilities of the upcoming season, but you also can’t help but fret over certain worst-case scenarios that could play out and ruin the season.
Some people might call this worrying “negativity.” Those people are wrong. They worry just as much as you, and their way of coping is by criticizing others who worry openly.
What’s your biggest worry about the Packers as training camp gets closer?
I suppose Aaron Rodgers’ good fortune running out and missing multiple games with an injury is always a concern, but I tend to not worry about injuries so much because you literally have no ideal from year to year what a team’s injury luck might be.
For me, I worry about impact players in the middle of the Packers defense. A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones, Morgan Burnett and either Jerron McMillian or M.D. Jennings will likely be roaming the middle of the field for the Packers on defense.
Do any of those players strike fear into opposing offenses?
It’s nice to have an impact player up the middle to wallop somebody and force a fumble or range across the field and make a pick to change the momentum of the game or make up for shortcomings in other area’s of the defense.
Hawk definitely isn’t that type player. We’re not sure yet about Jones, but I don’t have my hopes up. Burnett is a good player, but hasn’t yet ascended to playmaker status. McMillian and Jennings are unknowns, but again, I wouldn’t get my hopes up — especially about Jennings who is really small.
So, there’s your does of negativity for the day. Or what some people call negativity and I call worrying like any normal fan would.
I do think the Packers defense will be better, but I’d be a lot more confident if their players up the middle had at least one proven playmaker. Hopefully Jones, Burnett or McMillian/Jennings ascends this season and makes all my worrying for not.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- Clay Matthews says he is ready to be more of a leader. You know it’s time for the offseason when the “Player A hopes to be more of a leader this season” stories start popping up. Just once, I’d like to see a player say, “You know what? I am not going to be more of a leader this season. Instead of making inspirational speeches before games, I’m going to take a nap and catch up on episodes of “Downton Abbey.” When young players come to me searching for wisdom, I’ll send them to McCarthy because he’s the coach and gets paid to lead. I’m paid to make tackles and sack quarterbacks.”
- Speaking of leadership, for anyone who needs guidance in how to shoo away annoying celeb hunters, Aaron Rodgers does a pretty good of it here. Lombardi Ave. asks if Rodgers is really worth following around with a camera for TMZ footage. What sort of salacious thing does TMZ think Rodgers might do? Get caught sneaking into a limo with Brett Favre? Accidentally leave his playbook at a VIP booth in a swanky club? Intervene before an intoxicated and shirtless Ted Thompson leaps on a table and starts dancing to “Let me see your hips Swing?”
- Sam Shields and Casey Hayward are listed as No. 15 on Jason Wilde’s list of most important Packers. Even though Wilde cheated and listed two players at No. 15, his annual list is a must-read and a good way to get up to speed before Packers training camp opens.
- Zach Kruse takes a look at what a contract extension for Randall Cobb might look like now that Victor Cruz signed an extension with the Giants. The Packers are also reportedly looking at extending Morgan Burnett. Good. Burnett isn’t the big-play machine that Nick Collins was (yet), but he’s solid and has remained healthy after missing most of his rookie season. Sign him now before he realizes he’s worth more than what the Packers are offering.
- Acme Packing Company has started making predictions about the Packers roster. As of now, the only thing I’m predicting is that the Packers will have 47 players active on gameday.
- Our own Jason Perone was a guest on Brian Carriveau’s Railbird Central this week. Jason has a voice that can both soothe a crying child and hold the attention of a grown Packers fan. I call him the Barry White of Packers podcasters. A big thank you to Brian for having the entire ALLGBP.com crew on Railbird this summer. If you aren’t already listening to Brian’s show, shame on you. Catch up on past episodes here.
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- At least Louis CK made Forbes’ list of the 10 highest paid comedians. The other nine are about as funny as me.
- I had one crazy ex-girlfriend, but I don’t think she was Anna Benson crazy.
- John Lunness was molested by a priest as a child, then grew up to become a priest himself. Jeff Pearlman does a Q&A with Lunness and it’s fascinating.
July 7, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
Do you ever wonder if the marketing machines behind professional sports franchises make fans stupid? Or are professional sports fans already stupid, and the marketing machines give fans exactly what they’re asking for?
I was thinking about this while covering the Yankees beating the Twins (yet again) earlier this week at Target Field. Between almost every pitch, the Twins blasted some type of music over the stadium sound system or tried to entice a chant out of fans by playing some other type of sound effect. During every between-inning break, something silly like kiss-cam or a dance-off party played on the stadium video board.
It’s like the Twins didn’t think their fans had the mental capacity or attention span to pay money to attend a baseball game and actually, you know, watch the baseball game. Part of the beauty of baseball is the downtime between pitches and breaks between innings. You can follow and enjoy baseball while still chatting with friends or explaining the game to your 10-year-old son or daughter.
It’s hard to do any of that with yet another T-shirt toss (shiny objects!) going on or a song (wow, noise!) playing that tries to coax the audience into participating in some sort of generic sing-a-long.
I’m picking on the Twins, but the Packers haven’t been much better in this area the last couple of seasons. I haven’t been going to Packers games for very long, but even from when I first started (2007) to now, I’ve noticed a drastic change.
During the playoff win over the Vikings last season, I don’t think 10 seconds went by without the Lambeau PA announcer screaming at fans to get loud, or some type of gimmicky chant/song was played over the sound system to entice people to do…something, I guess.
It shouldn’t be this way. There are plenty of sports fans who are fans of the actual sport and the game being played on the field…right? Or am I naive and out of touch? Do the fans who attend today’s sporting events — even Packers fans — need all of these silly bells and whistles that have nothing to do with the actual game to keep them entertained?
A little bit of nonsense is fine. Go ahead and play the Go Pack Go! sound effect often. Sing “Roll out the Barrell” before the fourth quarter. I’m not trying to say that the stadium sound system should remain totally silent at all times.
But don’t beat it into the ground and cheapen the entire experience. Garbage like the G-Force pregame ritual, Seven Nation Army intro and the piped in sounds of old heavy metal songs to try to rile up the crowd between plays need to be removed from Lambeau.
That kind of stuff is acceptable at a minor league baseball park or Arena Football game, but not at the greatest sports venue on planet Earth.
For some reason, the Packers gameday brass thinks stuff like this enhances the gameday experience. It doesn’t. It drags it down. It makes it annoying. It’s distracting.
Packers fans have had the good fortune to watch one of the best teams in football for the last 20 seasons. Don’t distract us from the quality of what’s happening on the field on gameday by treating us like idiots with everything that’s happening off of it.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- Just like the Super Bowl season in 2010, several Packers are playing for a new contract this season. Will the desire to get paid coax big seasons out of guys like B.J. Raji, Sam Shields, Jermichael Finley and Evan Dietrich-Smith? I don’t know if I subscribe to the “contract year” theory — the theory that players play better when they aren’t signed for the following season — but I don’t think it hurts for certain guys to have a little extra motivation, either.
- Acme Packing Company asks which team do you hate losing to the most? For me, it’s the Bears. Whenever the Packers lose to the Bears, it’s usually a ragged and ugly game filled with a bunch of penalties and fluky plays. When the final score is displayed, I always wonder how in the hell the Packers just lost to that horsebleep team. I’m guessing the Vikings will be at the top of a lot of people’s lists. Yes, I’m pissed when the Packers lose to the Vikings as well — mainly because Vikings’ fans have the collective IQ of an empty Mountain Dew bottle full of dead mosquitoes — but sometimes when you lose to players like Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss or angry old-man Brett Favre, you just tip your hat and try to get the next one.
- Jacob Westendorf at Packerstalk.com asks if the Packers can afford to have Randall Cobb as their primary returner. Sure they can, if he’s head and shoulders above the next guy in line for the job. In a perfect world, Cobb would not be the primary return guy, but unfortunately, the world is not perfect. We’ll see if anyone steps up to take the job in training camp.
- Brian Carriveau opines about the lack of depth at safety for the Packers. I agree with everything Brian says. But if I had a quarter for every time I was worried about guys I’ve never heard of being able to step in and play for the Packers if called upon, I’d have a stack of quarters piled higher than the new south end zone addition at Lambeau Field. Worrying is what fans like me do. Making sure the Packers have good, quality young players that add depth to the roster is what proven GMs like Ted Thompson do.
- If you’re as sick of the offseason as I am, be sure to check out this handy offseason survival guide from Dan over at Packerpedia.com. My personal favorite is No. 9.
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- This long piece about how to win in Washington is a great read if you’re a media nerd like me.
- Profanity is getting smarter? Obviously, the author of this piece has never attended an NFL football game (or sat next to me on my couch while watching the Packers).
- I guess typewriters are becoming cool again. Ok…..
- RIP Matt Bourne (aka the real Doink the Clown).
June 30, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
To survive this particular Sunday, I don’t want to write about Desmond Bishop officially signing with the Vikings, Aaron Rodgers getting shafted on the NFL top 100 list or Aaron Hernandez (allegedly) murdering a guy(s). Instead, let’s do a Packers hypothetical:
If Packers GM Ted Thompson calls you tomorrow, rattles off the names of two players, and says he absolutely has to cut one of them and is calling you for advice, what would you tell him?
Here are the scenarios:
Tramon Williams or Casey Hayward?
I’d keep Hayward and cut Williams. Not an easy choice because I’m not as down on Williams as others, but I’ll take the young guy who isn’t as afraid of contact as Williams has been lately. Having young CBs like Sam Shields and Davon House on the roster would also help cushion the blow from losing Williams.
Mike Neal or Jerel Worthy?
One guy is prone to injuries, the other is actually injured. I’m keeping Neal and cutting Worthy. Neal has showed flashes of being really damn good when he hasn’t been in the trainer’s room. Worthy didn’t show me much last season when he was healthy — not enough explosiveness. I know Worthy is young and defensive linemen need time to develop, but based on what I’ve seen so far, I like a healthy Neal over a healthy Worthy.
Jermichael Finley or James Jones?
Now this is a tough one. I want to say I’d cut Finley and keep Jones, but for some reason, Finley still strikes fear into other teams. You still see coverage shifted to account for No. 88 even though he hasn’t been what I’d consider a playmaker in his career. He’s been a decent enough tight end, but not really a playmaker. Jones seemed expendable until he went nutso last season and I like his ability to go up and catch a jump ball every now and then. I also value a good wide receiver over a one-dimensional tight end, so I’d cut Finley. I might live to regret that decision, though. It’s a tough one.
Adam Czech, Jersey Al, Kris Burke, Chad Toporski, Thomas Hobbes, Jason Perone or Marcus Eversoll?
Jersey Al is up against the blogger salary cap and needs to cut one of his writers. Who gets the pink slip? Al won’t cut himself, nor should he because he built this empire into what it is today and is a living legend in Packers’ online universe. He can’t cut Chad because Chad just published the awesome series on the Packers defense and is in the prime of his career. Thomas stays because he’s really smart, and draws in the segment of our audience that refuses to join Twitter. Jason stays because he’s got a lot of potential and has the best podcast voice of our entire group. Marcus and Kris are another pair of up and comers and don’t count much against the cap. That leaves me, the guy who mixes in pro wrestling and text baseball simulations with his Packers writing. I’m also old and frequently hold out and ask Al for more money. If Al had to let one of us go, it’d probably be me. Uh oh, I better call my lawyer and my agent, just in case…
Packers News, Notes and Links
- There is no reason to read anything else this Sunday besides Chad Toporski’s series on the Packers defense. Start here and be sure to read all of the installments. Seriously, forget all the other nonsense swirling around the NFL and the Packers at this moment in the offseason and just read Chad’s series. It focuses on football (imagine that?!) and will make you a smarter fan after reading.
- I wasn’t kidding. All you need to survive this Sunday is Chad’s series on the Packers defense. Now, go read it!
- If you’re a fast reader and still need something to help you survive this Sunday, listen to this ALLGBP.com podcast featuring guest Wes Hodkewicz from the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
- If you need a little bit of drama on your Sunday, I suppose you could read this post from TotalPackers.com going off about ESPN, Internet police, and other stuff
- A reasoned and measured look at the lightning rod known as Jermichael Finley can be found over at Acme Packing Company.
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- If you still need something to get you through the day, watch this compilation of Ric Flair going nuts or this full Metallica concert from the …And Justice for All tour.
June 23, 2013 /
Adam Czech
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Adam - ALLGBP.com, Adam Czech, Packers, Surviving Sunday
Surviving Sundays with no Packers Football
LeBron James won his second consecutive NBA title with the Miami Heat on Thursday night and cemented his status as one of the greatest players of all time (at least among sane people).
I hated “The Decision” as much as anyone else, but I’m also over it. I don’t necessarily cheer for James now, but I make sure to appreciate him when I watch him play. James is an amazing, amazing, amazing athlete, and it’s a lot more fun to soak in what he’s able to do on the court instead of just calling him names and hating on him.
Anyway, James’ second title got me thinking: How many more titles will it take for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to be considered an all-time great? He’s already considered great, but he’s not yet at all-time great status with the likes of Starr, Montana, Brady or Unitas.
Then I started thinking some more (always dangerous): Why do we need to attach an arbitrary number of titles to greatness? If Rodgers keeps producing like he has, but doesn’t win another title, should that significantly diminish how we view him in the context of greatness?
I suppose you have to have some criteria to separate certain great players from other great players in subjective arguments like this one, and titles might be a part of it.
You also have to factor in eras and the rules attached to each era. Defenders in today’s NFL can’t make contact with a WR beyond five yards, hit a QB too high, hit a QB too low, hit any player in the head, or fart too loudly in the direction of the quarterback. How many yards would Montana or Unitas throw for if those rules applied back when they played?
I guess I’m trying to say that while it’s sometimes fun to get into these debates about greatness and which player is greater than the other, don’t forget to actually enjoy the greatness while it’s happening.
Rodgers is on a roll right now. Soak it in.
There will be plenty of time to make comparisons down the road.
Packers News, Notes and Links
- In a Q&A with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Packers coach Mike McCarthy called questions about his team’s toughness a “load of nonsense.” I love that phrase. If I were a politician, I would use it to discredit everything my opponent said about me. Perhaps the lack-of-toughness narrative has been overdone this offseason, but it has some merit. Injuries impacted the Packers toughness last season, but I can’t erase the images of Adrian Peterson doing whatever he wanted against the Packers defense. Until those images go away, I’ll think the Packers need to get a little tougher.
- The Packers held a news conference to go over some of the new security measures announced recently by the NFL. Seatbacks and cushions are fine as long as they don’t have pockets that can conceal anything. Size regulations on purses and bags haven’t changed, but they need to be clear. Fans that require bags for special medical equipment will have a special gate to go through. Basically, the NFL will not be satisfied until a) everyone shows up to the game naked, or b) everyone just stays home and watches from their couch.
- The Packers officially cut Desmond Bishop on Monday. Is everyone else as excited as I am to have Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk as the Packers starting inside linebackers? And by excited, I mean, pissing in your pants with fear? Repeat after me: In Ted we trust…In Ted we trust…In Ted we trust…
- Aaron Rodgers wants to cut the number of times he’s sacked in half. THEN GET RID OF THE DAMN BALL!!!! Actually, Rodgers’ sacks don’t bother me as much as they bother most people. Obviously, getting sacked is not an optimal strategy for success, but Rodgers makes a lot of plays when he holds the ball a little longer and buys himself some time. As long the big plays keep coming, I can tolerate a couple of extra sacks.
- John Rehor has the full Packers training camp schedule over at Packerstalk.com. While you’re there, be sure to check out the latest podcast from the ‘Ol Bag of Donuts crew.
Non-Packers Links and Other Nonsense
- RIP James Gandolfini. “The Sopranos” was the first show I ever became obsessed with.
- Here is a disgusting story about “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes losing his “muffler.”
- Here are 9,486 ways that president Obama’s press secretary gets around answering journalist’s questions.
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