The Green Bay Packers are poised to make a Super Bowl run and at almost every position they are well stocked. They are however, woefully understocked at one key position – backup quarterback. For whatever reason, the Packers staff is in love with their 2008 seventh-round draft pick out of LSU Matt Flynn. Why I have no idea.

I have never liked this weak-armed so-called smart player that has done everything we’ve asked of him. Well, if the Packers need Flynn to come in and win a game or two during a short-term injury to Aaron Rodgers, their playoff hopes are done. If Rodgers gets hurt opening day and is lost for the year the Packers would be lucky to win five games. Unless you are a running team, you can’t win with a player like Flynn at quarterback.

The Packers season has already been labeled “Super Bowl or Die” so to go into the season without a veteran quarterback is simply inexcusable. There were a number of veteran QBs the Packers could have trained to win a game or two, guys like Derek Anderson, Mark Brunell or Rex Grossman, who would have been my choice. I’d even take Daunte Culpepper at this point.

I would not be surprised if Graham Harrell looks better in the pre-season games than Flynn does. Then what do the Packers do? I wonder what Doug Pederson is doing these days? I know it seems like quarterbacks don’t get hurt in Green Bay, but the second you don’t prepare for it is the second it happens. I don’t want to jinx Rodgers, but I don’t think Flynn can play. The Packers need to sign a veteran signal caller, the risk not having one is too great.

Wow! It’s amazing the power of a text message and the lunacy of ESPN. The Brett Favre network devoted a whole day to the retirement of Brett Favre for a third time today even though there was no contact between Favre and any Vikings front office member saying Favre was retiring. The entire fiasco was based on reports of text messages supposedly sent from Favre to Vikings teammates.

This whole thing is following the Favre offseason program to the letter. Favre is under contract so he is technically a holdout. If he can create the appearance that he retired, the Vikings won’t look so bad for not fining him like any other holdout would be. What amazes me is that ESPN falls for it hook, line, and sinker. Simon Gruber (Hans’ brother) could not have said it better.

Steve Mariucci said on NFL Network that Favre just told him he has not retired and that he just needs more time to get healthy. If Favre is lying to Mooch it would be extremely disappointing.

While I had been telling everybody this offseason that Favre would retire this year, I realize now that I am wrong. The old gunslinger will be back with the Vikings in time for their Aug. 28 preseason game and will be in Green Bay Oct. 24. Providing he makes it that long on that [sic] bad ankle.

This is so much more fun watching from the outside. And the fact that the Vikings did nothing in the event Favre did actually retire is even better. Have you ever danced with the devil in pale moonlight? The Joker lives! HIs name is not Jack Napier, it’s Brett Favre.

Thank God for Aaron Rodgers. And pray he doesn’t get hurt. It’s the Packers and Cowboys in the NFC. Winner takes all.

Are you kidding me? Atari Bigby holds out for a new contract even though he isn’t physically able to play? Is a first grade education all you need to be a NFL player agent? It can’t be much more than that because whoever told Bigby to stay away from Green Bay this offseason is dumber than a box of rocks.

I mean, come on, Bigby “holds out” all offseason only to report with an ankle injury leaving him on the PUP list. What an idiot! Injured cornerback Al Harris moves to Green Bay the last two months and under the care of the Packers’ medical and strength conditioning team might make the most amazing comeback from injury in NFL history.

I think Bigby might be the all-time dumbest player in NFL history. The first dumb-dumb to come to mind in comparison from a Packers’ standpoint would be punter Paul McJulian. One good play and they think they are superstars. I am willing to bet that Bigby is such an afterthought in the Packers’ 2010 plans that they could care less whether he passes his physical or not. Justin Harrell has a much better chance of making the team than Bigby does.

So long Atari, if you need representation in the future, let me know. I can negotiate the league minimum like nobody can!

If you were at today’s shareholders meeting you can’t possibly not be fired up for the upcoming season. With the Packers being a good team with the potential to be great, the atmosphere at Lambeau today was as electric as any shareholders meeting I’ve been to with the possible exception of the first post-Favre gathering. Packers’ fans are expecting a Super Bowl run and I believe they are going to get it.

On the way to the hallowed grounds I heard Rookie and Bill making fun of me because I took a day off work to go the meeting. Rookie said he wouldn’t waste his vacation time on something so stupid, he would rather go to the beach. The beach? In Green Bay? Alright. The fact is, if you didn’t grow up being a Packers’ fan then you can’t understand us. So there is no way the Bear fan and Bronco fan that Bill and Rookie are can understand the uniqueness of being part of the Packers family. I don’t care how long you lived in Green Bay or covered the team. So go ahead and make fun of us, we don’t need you on our side. There will always be more Packers’ fans than any other NFL team if not any other sports team.

The most memorable thing today was meeting a guy who drove 900 miles straight from Virginia to be at the meeting, even though he wasn’t even an owner. He came up to me while I was waiting for NFL commissioner  Rodger Goodell to appear in the atrium for his NFL Network show and it was one of the most amazing conversations I have ever had, and it ended with a blockbuster. This guy, which for the life of me I can’t remember his name, knew more about the Packers than I do (insert cocky remark here). But really, this guy was aweseome!

We talked about almost every positon on the Packers and who was going to do what. We talked about his amazing story of being a Packers’ fan from far away and the first time he made a trip to Lambeau. As a lifelong resident of Green Bay and an owner and season ticket holder, his story made me feel so much more privileged . I am one of the luckiest men on the planet to be raised in Green Bay and be part of this franchise. To have the season tickets I have and the 12 NFL Championships to brag about, no team can hold a candle to the Packers.

Today was a great day. The crowd was huge, the atmosphere was electric, the Packers are ready to bring the Lombardi Trophy back home again. You could not walk out of that stadium today and not think big things ahead for this franchise. I know I will alway remember my conversation with my bud from Virginia. He said it over and over, unless you are one of us, you will never understand. The Cowboys can be America’s team, big whoop. The Packers are the world’s team and always will be.

I had a great day today. This was the official beginning of the Packers next Super Bowl win. It feels like 1996 all over if you ask me. Great QB, star defensive player, all the pieces are in place. The big push starts Saturday.

Finally, I said my story with the guy from Virginia would end with a bang, well, if you watched the NFL Farn Forum on NFL Network tonight my guy was on TV. How he got in those seats behind Goodell is beyond me. Look for a guy with a red sleeveless shirt and black hat with gold Packers’ logo. I almost died when I saw him down there when I watched it tonight. This guy is the most dedicated fan I have ever met, and he never even lived in Wisconsin.

The Packers are special and the NFL and all other sports leagues needs a team like Green Bay to succeed. Without the Packers’ success all other small market teams would question their existence. But if you can do what the Packers have done in a town like Green Bay, you should be able to succeed in any town. The Packers are the model of success that all sports teams are following. Little old Green Bay, land of cheese and milk and NFL superiority. Not too shabby.

Having a unique talent is not always easy, as Green Bay native Tony Shalhoub’s Monk character would say, “it’s a blessing, and a curse.” After some recent comments by Packers’ tight end Jermichael Finley, I’m wondering if the Packers might have one of those Randy Moss, TO type of players – huge talent but always on the edge of being a distraction. I guess it is too early to judge Finley yet but his comments regarding his missing curfew the night before the Packers’ playoff game last year were interesting.

“It was like the FBI when I got on that floor.” Finley said. He also said he got off scot-free because “probably I was too big a part of the game plan.”  I will say the man appears comfortable in his own skin. Wouldn’t have hurt him to say he screwed up and offer to pay a “fine” to a local charity. I have to say I agree with Mike McCarthy for not keeping him out of the game for any period of time, that just hurts his teammates, and McCarthy’s, chances to win the game. I would hope he did indeed at least fine him. Geez, I’d hate to see McCarthy become as bad as Chilly when it comes to coddling players.

Finley at least knows all eyes are upon him as he enters this year after “showing the world” what he can do. He talks about “seizing the moment” in 2010. If he does the Packers will have an offense second to none in the NFL. They are already a top five offense at the worst. Add Finley’s prediction of 100 catches and 1300 yards and the Packers won’t be stopped. This offense brings back memories of the James Lofton, John Jefferson and Paul Coffman offense of the mid-80s. They were never stopped but the defense was so bad many times 40 points or more weren’t enough to win. It was amazing. At least we know that won’t be the case this year with the Packers’ defense coming off a season in which it was ranked second in the NFL.

Yeah, I know they gave up 51 points their last time out, but having that burn in their craw for seven months ought to be a motivating factor not to let that happen again. Even if the Packers drop a little on defense as long as Finley and Aaron Rodgers are doing their thing from the jump off, the Packers will be playing in late January, hopefully in Lambeau Field. My biggest fear about Finley I guess is not his attitude so much as his durability. For whatever reason he doesn’t strike me as the toughest tight end I’ve ever seen, but I suppose the explosive types usually aren’t the bulldogs that guys like The Toolbox – Ed West or Mark Chmura were in the 90s for the Packers. Chewy took a beating some times but always got up, I want to see that from Finley once.

In the end though, I want to know what possibly could have been more important in Glendale, Arizona than being with your teammates preparing for the biggest game of the season? And if it ever happens in Green Bay, give me a call. I’ll drive.

As we inch closer to training camp the Green Bay Packers are becoming one of the most talked about teams in the NFL. You can’t tune into any sports channel that is talking NFL without one of the commentators bringing up the Packers as a tough team to beat this year. Expectations will be super high when camp opens and I for one am going to really enjoy hearing the hype escalate further as training camp and preseason progress. Opening day in Philly is going to be huge.

The Packers have one of the best teams in the NFL because of the work of general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy. Thompson has put together one the most talented teams in the league and first-time head coach McCarthy has proven to be the right man for the right job. McCarthy has the respect of his players and a proven offensive system that has seen him turn around Brett Favre’s career and then develop Aaron Rodgers into arguable the best quarterback in the NFL without a ring. Kind of like the best player never to win a major.

This just might be Rodgers year. Since the debacle in Tampa Bay last year Rodgers has become the true leader of this team with a lot of help from cornerback Charles Woodson. Much like the old Reggie White-Brett Favre days the Packers have leaders on both sides of the ball. Woodson recently called Rodgers the best QB in the NFL. The way Rodgers came back from a poor start in Arizona last January was epic. If not for a soft pass defense in that game the Packers might have been playing in the Super Bowl. Believe you me the Packers will not be that soft this year against the pass. One thing about McCarthy, with the exception of special teams, when he says he’s going to fix something, he fixes it.

The Packers have enough talent and enough competition at every position that they should be even better than 11-5 this year. It will probably take 13-3 to win the NFC North, which I think will be the best division in football in 2010. The Packers are the up-and-comers with the youth and desire to win it all. The Vikings with or without Favre can be penciled in for 10 or more wins. The Bears are my sleeper team in the division and they scare the living daylights out of me. I’ve always been a fan of Mike Martz and the Packers struggled stopping John Kitna and Detroit when Martz coached there. If the Bears’ defense rebounds with Brian Urlacher back and Jay Cutler buys into Martz’ offense, the Bears are going to be a beast.

I hate to admit it but I love the Lions’ head coach Jim Schwartz. He has a plan much like McCarthy did when he came to Green Bay and Schwartz will stick to it even if it takes a few years. The Lions have greatly improved their talent level since he became coach and the Vikings might have given the Lions the greatest gift of all when they traded with them in the draft allowing Detroit to draft Javid Best. Only the Vikings could be that stupid. I don’t see the Packers losing to the Lions this year, but that 19-game home winning streak over the Lions might not go much past 20.

Two weeks from Friday we get underway. I’ll be at the Packers’ shareholders meeting the day before. The Packers’ financial statement usually comes out that day but tomorrow the Packers will deliver the news ahead of time and it figures to be bad. The Packers might need a Super Bowl run to keep the franchise alive and kicking. I think it is coming. The Saints won’t repeat, the Vikings never win anything, no team in the NFC West is any good anymore, which leaves only the Dallas Cowboys standing in the Packers way. Seems like old times.

I use the same phrase in golf a lot more times than I care to admit. When asked why I shot so bad I say “offense, defense, special teams.” In golf a bad round is the result of a loss of all phases. In football, the Packers were somehow able to overcome the complete and total loss of special teams and yet finish 11-5 last year. One would think changes would be made to improve that situation. One would be wrong.

A year after which firing special teams coach Mike Stock and replacing him with Shawn Slocum turned out to be a bust, the Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy stood pat and kept Slocum on as special teams coordinator. Why? I have no idea. The bottom line is the Packers have no excuse for being so bad on special teams. The roster is well stocked with promising young players who are fighting to make the team and special teams might be their only hope. Either the Packers’ depth isn’t what we think it is or the special teams’ coach is clueless.

My guess is the later. When McCarthy hired Slocum there were other well respected special teams coaches available and yet McCarthy hired the assistant to the worst special teams coach in the Packers’ recent history. The results last year reflected that poor decision. Going into the 2010 season the Packers are widely regarded as Super Bowl contenders because of Aaron Rodgers and the No. 2 defense in the NFL. Both Rodgers and the defense should be even better this year, but will it be enough to overcome the failings of the special teams?

I doubt it. Like a Brett Favre interception in the playoffs, you know it’s coming, but the heartbreak is still the same.

Obviously I’m in the minority on this one, but I am not a fan of expanding the NFL season to 18 games. I hate to admit it, actually, I don’t hate to admit it, but I like preseason games. While six games was a bit too much, the current four game preseason is perfect. The only thing I hate is having to pay full price for them with my season ticket package. It’s like paying Super Bowl prices for regular season games, it ain’t right.

The thing I do love about the preseason games is watching the young players play and develop. Without four games to play I think it will seriously effect how players develop and even more important their ability to come in and play their rookie year. With talk of a new developmental league being formed it will be like baseball’s minor leagues and it will much harder for the fans to follow their team’s draft choices when they are playing for teams out of town.

I also like having four weeks of stress-free football before kicking off the real deal. It makes opening day special. On the other end the thought of attending non-playoff games in late January and possibly playoff games in February in Green Bay is not very enticing. I can see thousands of no-shows at those games if the temperature is 20 below with a windchill of 50 below. I know I’m not going, twenty-five years ago maybe, but not now. I remember the first week in February 1996 in which the temperature never got above zero one time, with a low of 31 below. Daytime highs were around minus 15. Can you imagine hosting a playoff game in those conditions? It would make the 2007 loss to the Giants feel like sunny Tampa.

I know this is a battle I’m going to lose as the NFL always gets it’s way. With 18 games though, you can expect to see teams rest their starters the very second they lock up their playoff spot, regardless of whether or not they are playing a division foe the last few weeks of the season. The risk of injury will be increased dramatically, especially considering possible weather conditions late in the year.

And finally, how can you develop a young QB without giving him playing time? Without preseason games where would Matt Hasselbeck be today? Stories like Hasselbeck’s are all over the NFL at other positions as well. I love watching those players. It will also be interesting to see how bad the quality of play will be the first few weeks of the regular season, it could be ugly.

I hold out hope that it won’t happen, but I think it will be part of the new CBA between the NFL and the players association. Money talks and the TV networks pay the bills, so get ready for football in late February. It’s going to be interesting.

Johnny Jolly may be stupid but he ain’t dumb, he at least knows the difference between $2.5 million and $500,000, even if he might never see a dime of it. What Atari Bigby and Tramon Williams are thinking is beyond me. Williams is likely to have his tender cut from $3.1 million to $580 grand. If it is true that Williams didn’t sign his tender by the deadline yesterday he should sign up for the next edition of “Dumb and Dumber.”

Bigby would be the dumb half of that duo. He is only giving up a few grand but probably has already lost his starting spot in the secondary which would have been tenuous even if he was present at the OTAs. If Williams thinks the Packers are going to open the vault for a player who was a starter by injury for less than a full season and played average at best he is either getting bad advice or is on drugs. If Williams or Bigby never step foot in Lambeau again the Packers will no worse for the wear, that is for sure.

I will admit Williams has some upside, but he is 27 years old still is not a proven entity. He has shown signs but at that age you wonder if he can get any better. There aren’t too many guys like Charles Woodson out there, or even Al Harris for that matter. Of all the people who need the OTAs and minicamp Williams probably needed it the most considering Harris might not be ready for the opener. If Williams would have performed at a high level Harris may never have got his job back. Now I think Harris will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later as the Packers no longer have the luxury to put him the PUP list to start the season.

It is definitely not business as usual in the NFL this offseason due to the impending work stoppage following the season. The players have much more to lose and the sooner they realize it the sooner things can return to normal. The NFLPA and the player’s agents are acting like they hold all the cards when the best they have is a pair of ducks.

The Packers close out the offseason program with a mini-camp June 21-23 then don’t resume until July 30. The absence of Bigby and Williams will surely be a hot topic. And with Jolly not being around for OTAs it will be interesting to see what kind of shape he is in or if he even shows up. Enjoy the next eight days because that’s all we get until July 30.

What the hell is going on out there?! The off-the-field exploits of Johnny Jolly and now Brandon Underwood are making the Packers look like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Cincinnati Bengals. Enough is enough. The Packers should cut ties with both players right now. In Jolly’s case all they have to do is withdraw the tender they offered him that he never signed. They don’t even have to cut him. In Underwood’s case, word came out he has been trouble since day one so letting him go is no big deal either.

Underwood garnered praise from head coach Mike McCarthy last week but it wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. Underwood was a sixth round draft choice who only saw the field last year because of injuries. If you can remember a play he made you are a better man than me. The Packers are possibly on the verge of great things and they need to nip this in the bud immediately. Responding rapidly will certainly send a message.

What pisses me off is that the names of the six players who did nothing wrong were dragged through the mud. To even think players like Matt Flynn or Clay Matthews or Brad Jones would be involved in something so stupid is ridiculous. Matthews must be thinking “what is coming next?” First he is accused by association of taking steroids in light of the Brian Cushing affair, now this. At least Matthews stood his ground.

Sounding like a seasoned veteran Matthews had this to say:  “Unfortunately one person kind of put himself in a situation that kind of dampened this weekend a little bit. It is unfortunate, there’s no doubt about it. But everybody showed up today, trying to move forward, trying to put that behind us and wipe our hands clean.”  Matthews was speaking at the Donald Driver charity softball game.

That kind of reminded me of the Peyton Manning and his “idiot kicker” quote. Matthews is the real deal and barring injury should be a Packers’ great for years to come. Hopefully Jones can be good enough to take some of double-teams off CM3 to allow him to continue to make big plays.

But with that said, the Packers need to act now and be done with it. I mean come on! Jolly wearing gangsta clothes to court? I’m an owner and I don’t want that on my team. The only person dumber than Jolly is his lawyer. Now that his trial has been postponed to the opening day of training camp, do the Packers really want that distraction? I think not. So long and good luck with your future endeavors Mr. Jolly.

To quote McCarthy – “the train has left the station.”