The Packers are about to open training camp and like every year I am fired up. That is the same with all Packers’ fans but what separates me from most is I love the preseason games. This year the Packers are returning something like 20 of their 22 starters from last year which means there won’t be many battles for starting jobs. The open right tackle position will be the hot one and outside linebacker will be warm as well. Most of the competition this year is for backup jobs and that means we’ll be seeing guys fighting for their professional lives in the weeks to come.

I love seeing these guys battle for jobs and and then trying to decide who should be cut and comparing it to who actually does get cut. Guys I’m going to be watching are guys like last year’s training camp sensation – running back Kraig Lumpkin, linebacker Clay Matthews, who along with B.J. Raji should get plenty of playing time in the preseason. Defensive lineman Justin Harrell, healthy for the first time in his life should be interesting to watch. I’ll certainly be watching the backup cornerbacks as Charles Woodson and Al Harris won’t be around forever, in fact it would be nice to see them get pushed a little to keep them at the top of their game.

I also want to see more of Jordy Nelson and he and James Jones should see plenty of action. What could hurt those two is once Aaron Rodgers leaves the game the Packers have very little at quarterback. I’m not high on Matt Flynn or Brian Brohm at all. I’m sure they can hand to Lumpkin and Deshawn Wynn pretty good though. In that same vein, tight end Jermichael Finley is looking to beat out Donald Lee has a starter but may have to make his move when Rodgers is still in the game and more so in practice.Needless to say the switch to the 3-4 defense will on the top of most peoples list of what to watch and is on mine as well, but the difference is I believe Dom Capers when he says the Packers will be ready to go opening day, no six game learning curve like I hear mentioned so much. In this case, however, we may not be able to glean much with the starters only play a few quarters together in the preseason. Still, seeing the schemes and how the linebackers play will be fun to watch.

My biggest concern is the same as it has been for the last 18 years, don’t get the quarterback hurt before the games count. It is always a fine line between playing enough to get the timing down and coming out to soon to avoid injury. Other guys that could kill the Packers season before it gets started by getting hurt in the preseason would by Greg Jennings, Woodson or Harris, Ryan Grant, and Chad Clifton, who covers Rodgers’ back. I would also be very concerned if Ryan Pickett or Raji got hurt. Pickett never has got his just do but he is a key player for the Packers’ defense. Raji has shown from the day he got here, no pads yet, that he is going to be starting somewhere on the d-line.

Finally, the best thing about preseason games is that you don’t have to get all nervous before or during the game. It is great to watch the Packers play and not really care what the final score is. Coaches can talk until they are blue in the face about the importance of winning every game you play but we all know these games mean nothing in the win-loss column.  So sit back, enjoy your favorite beverage, and watch the Packers mold their team into what I think will be at least a division champion. It all starts Saturday I’ll be there.

Now that all is said and done I can say I told you so. I’m not going to dig up the post, you all saw it so you know I said that when it came right down to it Brett Favre would decide coming back wasn’t worth the effort and he would remain retired. If you press me I’ll dig up the quote, but I knew he didn’t have the guts to come back just to stick it to Ted Thompson. And now all he did, and I thank him profusely, is cause big problems for the Minnesota Vikings. It is clear now that the Vikings’ head coach doesn’t like his current quarterbacks and now with their training camp beginning Thursday he all of a sudden has to reassure his remaining quarterbacks that he had confidence in them all along, even though he was trying to replace them. Good luck with that.Favre is a drama queen and his long courtship with the Vikings proved that. And while I’d like to think this thing is over I can’t help but feel we may have to go through this again before the season starts. But only the Vikings would give Favre that leeway. One of the funniest things I read in my life was the suggestion that if Aaron Rodgers were to get hurt the Packers would call on Favre to bail them out. Leave it to sell-out Mike Florio and NBC Pro Football Talk to come up with that one. Thompson would call Jeff George long before he would call Brett Favre. I can’t see Favre returning to Lambeau as a retired player for a long time, especially if Thompson and the Packers start winning. Myself, as a fan, would welcome number four back with open arms to be the ceremonial captain and toss the coin before the game. In time I will forget his childish behavior and one-year bust in New York. Much like I forgot the way the Packers’ newest inductees into the Packers’ Hall of Fame – Dorsey Levens and Antonio Freeman – left the team.I do believe this is it for Favre and it will be interesting to see if the Packers will reach out to him in hopes he will be an ambassador for the Packers like Bart Starr is still to this day, forty-some years since he won five NFL Championships in Green Bay. Packers’ fans will forgive and forget like I said I already will do. I just hope it happens sooner than later. Won’t be this year, I wouldn’t think. How about next year’s home opener? Might be a couple of years later than scheduled, but by then all should be good on both sides of this story. The Packers having a good season this year would make it all that much more special.My final, final, final, etc., word on Favre is just to say thank-you Brett. Thanks for sparing us Packers’ fans another distracted season. Now we can again look back at Favre’s glory days and once again love the player who along with Reggie White, Mike Holmgren and Ron Wolf took the Packers to their first Super Bowl win in 30 years. I loved the the recent series by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in re-running articles about some of the Packers’ greatest wins. It was amazing stuff. Wolf, Holmgren and Favre started it, Reggie White added the final piece of the puzzle. We won’t talk about the next year.Now, let’s get ready for 2009 and what I think is going to be a great year in Green Bay. All the pieces are in place, a potentially great offense, an improved defense and an easy schedule. Like Al Bundy would say – “Let’s rock!”.

This is easily the worst month of the year for NFL fans, there is simply nothing going on, the Interception Machine not withstanding. With two weeks to go before training camp opens for the Green Bay Packers I think the 2009 season hangs in the balance between special teams and defense. The Packers offense was one of the NFL’s best last year and should be even better this year. The emergence of players like Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley will only compliment receivers Donald Driver and emerging star Greg Jennings. At running back I believe Ryan Grant will return to his 2007 form after a full offseason in the Packers’ system and nothing needs to be said about quarterback Aaron Rodgers. After one year Rodgers is clearly one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league and if he starts another 16 the Packers are headed for good things. Providing, however, the Packers’ defense and special teams improve dramatically this year.

The Packers’ defense was absolutely horrible last year. It was like they were throwing popcorn at their opponents. Special teams was just as bad. With the worst punter ever to suit up in an NFL game and a kicker who can’t kick in the clutch, the Packers lost most of their games on account of special teams and defense. Offensively Rodgers threw six of his interceptions in two bad games and never had more than one in his other 14 games. Ryan Grant ended up ninth in the NFL last year with 1203 yards and anybody who says head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t run the ball enough might want to ask Grant that question. Last year Grant had the fifth most carries of any back in the NFL, five carries away from third. If anything McCarthy ran the ball too much last year not trusting his first year starter at quarterback.

I’m not worried about the defense improving under new coordinator Dom Capers, that is a given if you ask me. Shawn Slocum has impressed me slightly with his approach to special teams which is certainly different than his predecessor Mike Stock. The defense was never in good hands with Bob Sanders. There was never any identity. Under Capers there will be a clear identity and much more accountability. If anyone thinks the Packers won’t be ready to play opening day, like Florio and other experts, they are going to be sorely mistaken. Slocum has a much harder job than Capers if you ask me, but I think he is like Capers and is taking over a unit that has the players to be successful. I want to see Jordy on kickoffs and Will Blackmon on punts. I try to find areas of weakness and the only things that worry me are offensive line and their ability to keep Rodgers healthy. I’m sorry, but confidence is high.