SCREW OFF MARK BRADLEY

Yesterday, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution made a blog post about Brett Favre. And in it, he ripped Brett to shreds. Even the most disgusted Packers fans that resulted from Brett's return and departure should take offense to the blasphemy that Bradley puked out (through his fingers of course). Bradley claims that Favre is the most overrated athlete of our time. No not just quarterback, ATHLETE of our time.

He begins by citing other overrated athletes that Brett's overratedness? exceeds (ie. Nolan Ryan, James Worthy, and Patrick Ewing). He even claims Shaq was overrated coming out of college and still is now. NONE OF THESE ATHLETES ARE OVERRATED MARK. Bradley continues by arguing that Kurt Warner has had a better career than Brett. Yes, that inconsistent, "I've had three legitimate full seasons, four good seasons" Warner. I give Kurt all the credit in the world and believe he deserves a legitimate shot at the Hall of Fame based on what he did in those seasons, but he has NOT had a first ballot career, not set record upon record, and not started EVERY SINGLE GAME since he was given a starting job.

Bradley says, "Pleas oh please let him stay gone this time," claiming that ESPN having a story about how the game will never be the same without him is a bunch of crock. This sounds to me like a... let's see... what will I call it... an "Upset The Falcons Front Office F'd Up and Made The Team I Cover Suck" writer guy. That's right. I said it.

The Falcons traded Favre to Green Bay after the 1991 season. So let's take a look at the numbers. Between 1992 and 2007, Favre's years with the Packers, compare the team's records: Atlanta 112-143-1, Green Bay 161-95. That's a .438 win percentage for the Falcons compared with .629 for the Packers. For those 16 years, the green and gold had a whopping ONE starting quarterback. A WHOLE ONE! Meanwhile, Atlanta went through 16, including the likes of Dog Murderer Michael Vick and I Like To Scream at My Coach Jeff George. Good peoples. That's 60,527 passing yards for the Packers, and, well, 51,322 for the Falcons. Good choice Atlanta. And Bradley even tried to write favorably of Michael Vick after all of the dog fighting ring information came out. He noted that the story of Vick may "even become a heartening story in three acts: The rise, the fall, the redemption." THE MAN PUT MONEY INTO THE MASS MURDER OF INNOCENT DOGS. And Mr. Bradley feels a soft side for him. Real nice.

Bradley and his absurd ideas have even made me feel bad for a former Chicago Bear (yuck). Bradley, who shares names with Chicago's 2005 2nd round pick, has perpetually cursed the receiver from Oklahoma. In five NFL seasons, he has accumulated 963 yards on 68 receptions (7 TDs). A year later, in 2006, the Packers selected some guy named Greg Jennings 52nd overall who has panned out just a bit better (2,844 yards on 178 catches and 24 TDs.)

Yes I know that's a stretch, the whole curse thing. But I don't like this Mark Bradley dude whatsoever.

NOT FAR FROM TRANSITION TO 3-4?

Pat Kirwan over at NFL.com started a short series of updates he will be giving on the Packers transition from 4-3 to 3-4. And the title of his first article is "Packers not far off from making 3-4 defensive conversion work." Kirwan talks about how it took Dallas nearly 2 years, New England three first round picks on the line, and the Jets a few years to get the right personnel in place for the 3-4, and he argues that the Packers may be much closer than most people think.

At nose tackle, Kirwan thinks Ryan Pickett is more than adequate to get the ball rolling, but he believes he needs a young backup to rotate in and give him some rest. As for the outside linebackers, Kirwan says that Aaron Kampman is even more suited for the switch from DE to OLB than Greg Ellis was for the Cowboys. He states that Kampman should be the least of the Packers' issues in the conversion." I'm not fully on board with that idea yet. Brady Poppinga and Brandon Chillar are currently slotted to fill the spot opposite Kampman, but Kirwan suggests the Pack might look towards the draft for this spot as well, citing the names of Larry English, Aaron Curry, Everette Brown, and Brian Orakpo (Brown and Orakpo would be converted DE's as well).

The defensive ends the Packers currently have for the 3-4 are Cullen Jenkins, who should fit in just fine, and Mike Montgomery, who is a question mark and has a lot to prove. Kirwan says that the Packers should make a play in free agency for the Cowboys' Chris Canty or the Chargers' Igor Olshansky. I guess he's not very optimistic about Julius Peppers coming to Lambeau. At strong inside linebacker, A.J. Hawk should excel, as long as Ryan Pickett can hold down the middle and keep demanding double teams. At weak ILB, Nick Barnett, as long as he recovers from his ACL injury, should be just fine.

Finally, in the secondary, this is where I truly question Kirwan. He says that there isn't much conversion from 4-3 to 3-4. It has been well documented that the Packers bump-and-run corners will need to learn to sluff off and play a lot more zone, something that Al Harris and Charles Woodson may struggle with. He believes that if the Packers make a free agent signing in the front 3 and draft a ready to play outside linebacker, they could make the transition in under one year. That is a VERY bold statement, and I'd like to see the green and gold make a few good moves and picks before I'm ready to jump to such a conclusion.

DON'T BUILD ME UP JUST TO BREAK ME DOWN...

First off, I'd like to apologize for slowing down my posts on the blog. I had a lot of car trouble that I was running around trying to get fixed and then I had a shoot for ESPNU to take care of. So, this post should have gone up a few days ago, but I just never got to it.

The guys over at Cheesehead TV had an interesting post on Tuesday, linking to The National Football Post; and I saw it just after I had done my blogging about Julius Peppers. Michael Lombardi, in his Diner Morning News article on Monday, talked a whole lot about Julius Peppers and how the Panthers need to try to keep him. But as I said on Tuesday, he wants to play elsewhere in the a 3-4 in 2009. And Michael Lombardi says, "Well he'll have many options, with the first being the Packers." Peppers' first option is the Pack? Don't build me up just to break me down Lombardi... If Peppers goes into free agency, it is a possibility, although Ted Thompson will have to break his wallet in the market for once. If the Panthers franchise tag him in order to get something in return for him, however, I doubt the Thompson makes a play because we know how he loves his draft picks. And Carolina would want a decent share of draft picks for their star defensive end. This is an exciting possibility for Green Bay; I just wish it could be March already.

BRETT FAVRE IS RETIRING.... AGAIN

The obvious big news of today is that ESPN's Ed Werder and Chris Mortensen are reporting that Brett Favre is retiring, this time minus the press conference. They're reporting that Brett has asked his agent, Bus Cook, to notify the Jets organization. He indicated in his e-mail to Werder that he had no regrets finishing his NFL career with the Jets, and not in Green Bay. That hurts Brett. Green Bay LOVED you. I was there for your last game as a Jet vs the Dolphins; most of New York hated you. All I heard was the crowd yelling and criticizing and telling you to retire; and you have no regrets? Honestly, I find that hard to believe.

"My time with the Jets was short, but I'm honored to be given that chance.'' He could have walked away after the 2007 season, on a high pedestal, and being remembered for the amazing comeback season he had. But he passed that opportunity up, played for a much inferior offense in 2008, and did not play nearly as well in 2008. And you don't regret all of the uproar that has resulted in Green Bay, a city that LOVED you? Hard to believe Brett.

Favre told Werder he felt "exiled" to the Jets by the Packers organization, and one of his main motivations to play in 2008 was to show Ted Thompson, who Favre believes took his Packers team away from him, that he could still play. And he later admitted that sometimes he was playing for the wrong reasons. Favre also admits he sometimes wondered if he had made a "terrible mistake" in returning and leaving the Packers for another team.

So Brett has gotten what he wanted: "I'm an emotional guy, and I'm sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional... People would probably say, 'Oh, here he goes again.'" No press conference, just personally informing the Jets that he would not return for an 18th NFL season. As much as I have argued that the Packers moving on worked out well for the team, it hurt to see Brett anywhere else. Especially when all of the blame began to fall on him for a teams struggles while its defense collapsed and plays stopped being drawn up for their playmakers.

As I've said before...

I idolized Brett Favre. I played quarterback in middle school and high school, and basically on every single pass I tried to show how hard I could throw the ball (and nearly every time was throwing off of the wrong foot, much to my coach's chagrin). It didn't always work out so well that way for me but, hey, if he could do it, I would try it.

I grew up loving Brett, and I still loved him through it all. It's sad to see him go, but I finally realized after the 2007 season, he could not play forever. I hope that Brett and the Packers organization can make amends so when it comes time to retire his jersey, it will be a night honoring a legend, not an awkward night where an uncomfortable tension hangs over all heads involved.

KOOOOOOOOOOONCE

Former Packers linebacker George Koonce (1992-1999) is in the news as one of four candidates to replace UW-Milwaukee's retiring Athletic Director Bud Haidet. Not only is this of interest to me because of Koonce being a former Packer, but my mother was a Panther for her undergraduate degree. And after reading Charles F. Gardner's article over at the Journal Sentinel, Koonce sounds like a great candidate for the job. He is currently senior associate athletic director at Marquette, and served as a special assistant to the athletic director at his alma mater, East Carolina. Between 2003-2006, the time that Koonce was at ECU, he was a part of raising $5 million for a new basketball facility and was also on the four person committee that hired Skip Holtz as the head football coach, a move that has worked out very well for the university. In Holtz's first four seasons, after inheriting a team that was 2-9 the year before he arrived, the Pirates have progressively improved (5-6 in 2005, 7-6 in 2006, 8-5 in 2007, and 9-5 in 2008). They were 2008 Conference USA champions. He seems to understand what it is like to be at a school that works in the shadow of other top programs (at East Carolina - Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, and at UW-Milwaukee - Marquette and Wisconsin), but he enjoys the challenge and has shown in the past he can overcome such obstacles. Good luck to former Super Bowl Champion Packer George Koonce! He should find out sometime in March if he is chosen for the job.

MY FIRST REAL FEELING OF HOPE... KINDA

While at the Pro Bowl, Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers admitted to NBC's Tiki Barber he wants out of Carolina, saying, "I just feel it's time to move on." He also went on to admit he wants to play in the 3-4 next season. Could this be the moment Ted Thompson has been putting off making any big free agent splashes for? Peppers has averaged over 10 sacks per season in his career, and Aaron Kampman led the Packers with 9.5 in 2008. It's hard to predict how smoothly Kampman's transition to OLB will be in Dom Capers new scheme, but bringing in a threat like Peppers could only help Aaron by taking a little bit of pressure away from him. While excited at the possibility of Peppers being in green and gold next season, I have seen Ted Thompson's lack of spending free agent dollars over his first few offseasons in Green Bay, so I try to remain realistic. Other teams in the mix according to Rotoworld.com are the Browns, Broncos, Dolphins, and 49ers.

REFLECTIONS FROM THE SENIOR BOWL

Greg A. Bedard over at the Journal Sentinel took the trip down to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL a couple weeks ago. Yesterday, he posted his "Packers All-Senior Bowl Team" about some players, while making sure to give the disclaimer, "I do not profess to be any kind of draft expert." It's pretty self explanatory and he did a pretty good job looking at holes on our roster.

PRO BOWL

I don't remember the last time I actually watched a Pro Bowl. Not that I really watch the NBA or MLB All-Star games either. There was a period of time where the All-Star games were so important to a sport. Usually, that was because it was the only time that fans got to see certain players (TV, the internet, and the increase in number of franchises in each sport has dramatically changed that). They're just not interesting anymore. They used to be competitive games where the players really fought to show who was the best. Now they've become just another situation for front office people to worry about the players they have invested millions of dollars in getting injured. So, I'm not ashamed to admit I didn't watch the Pro Bowl yesterday. Instead, I spent six hours in a car.

Al Harris and Nick Collins were the only representatives of the Packers in the game, and they each did well. The Journal Sentinel's Greg A. Bedard did an interview with Nick about his first pro bowl experience. Collins recorded one tackle while on defense, and two as a special-teamer (maybe we should send him on coverage and he should do that for us next year since our Special Teams finished 26th in the league in 2008). Harris had three tackles and knocked away a pass intended for Denver's Brandon Marshall in the end zone that saved a touchdown (pictured above). And don't forget Charles Woodson was elected, but decided against playing. It's interesting to see three players from a below average defense get recognized for such good individual seasons, yet their unit as a whole struggled so much. Congratulations to these three for having the types of seasons they did, and maybe some day All-Star games can get their swagger back.

STEVE SPURRIER IS NOT A GOOD PERSON

Remember Danny Wuerffel? He was on the Packers in 2000, but when I think of him, I think of the 1996 Heisman Trophy winning Wuerffel. At Florida, he played alongside the likes of Fred Taylor, Reidel Anthony, Ike Hilliard, and Jacquez Green, who were all great collegiate players in their own right. They won the national championship the year that Wuerffel won the Heisman. And they did it under Steve Spurrier. I rooted for Florida in those years; I loved the excitement of Spurrier's "Run 'N Gun" offense.
After twelve seasons at Florida, winning seven SEC championships and finishing in the top 10 nine times, he had compiled a winning percentage of .817. That meant he should go to the NFL, right? WRONG. But he did anyway. He signed the most lucrative coaching contract in the history of the league in 2002 with the Redskins (5 years $25 million). And that worked out very well for him. He went 12-20 in his two seasons before resigning, and lost his final three games by a combined score of 85-31. He decided a return to the college ranks would be in his best interest, and like Nick Saban has been so publicly criticized for, he returned to the SEC he once abandoned, but this time with another team, South Carolina.

I hate that. It's one thing in the NFL, where everything is a business, if a player or coach leaves one team for its rival. Unless there was a longtime relationship with the first team ::cough cough:: Brett Favre Minnesota Vikings ::cough cough::. But as much as the college game has turned into a business, you're still working with kids, and the amount of betrayal and lack of commitment by Spurrier and Saban does not set a good examples for the kids they are supposed to be setting in the right direction in life.
So why am I ranting about Steve Spurrier? Because now he brought a Packer into his miserable attempt at being a part of, AND respecting, the game of football. Apparently the Ol' Ball Coach wants to unretire former Packers star receiver Sterling Sharpe's number 2. Sharpe is one of FOUR numbers retired by the Gamecocks, and apparently there aren't like 95 other numbers between 1 and 99 that his players can wear. It's not like South Carolina is anything like the Yankees where every other freaking number is retired. There are 95 other choices Steve. When a number is retired, it is retired. And Sterling does not want that to change, understandably so.

Apparently Spurrier promised the number to a recruit and told the kid and all of his high school coaches that Sterling was fine with him wearing the number. Not so much Steve. You had nothing to do with Sterling's number being retired, you have never had anything to do with him during his time in Columbia, so who are you to try to take that honor away from him? You are nobody Mr. Spurrier. Especially since your teams in your first four years at SC (28 wins, 22 losses) have been mediocre at best. I hope your struggles continue, and I can only feel bad for the student athletes you are in charge of for being sucked into your way of teaching and being a role model.

THE RUNNING GAME

The running game in Green Bay has been a difficult one to try to dissect over the past 2 seasons. The 2007 season started off with absolutely no rushing attack. Short slants and screen passes essentially filled the void that the lack of a ground game had left. Then Ryan Grant came along, and was the savior of the Packers' run offense. In the ten games he saw significant carries (week 8 on), he was second in rushing yards and touchdowns only to San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson. That says a lot about the success Grant had. But still, the Packers finished 21st in the league in rush offense at just under 100 yards per game (1,597 yards - 956 of which were Grant).

In 2008, very big things were expected of the 25-year-old Notre Dame product. It began with a contract hold-out, however, and then when he was finally on the field, he was slowed by nagging injuries (hamstring and thumb). While his per carry average fell from 5.1 to 3.9, he finished the season ranked 6th in the NFC with 1,203 yards on the ground. The Packers moved up from 21st to 17th in the league (112.8 ypg and 1,805 yards), but we may have to look elsewhere besides Grant for the reason behind this progression.

Brandon Jackson, the Packers 2nd round pick in 2007, was a solid contributor in 2008. The plan for Green Bay from the beginning was for this guy to have a shot at being the number one back, but a few injuries in 2007 paved the way for Ryan Grant to take that spot. Jackson finished the 2008 season averaging 5.5 yards a carry (however only on 45 carries), and showed some very bright moments when given the opportunity. Don't forget, Aaron Rodgers was sacked 34 times this season, 14th most in the league, showing that the green and gold's front five struggled this season, primarily due to injuries.

Looking forward, if both the backs and line can stay healthy in 2009, the Packers should continue to leap-frog up the league rushing leaders. And with the season Aaron Rodgers had in 2008, that can only lead to more success.

A LITTLE HUMOR ABOUT KEVIN GREENE

So I just got done watching "The Wrestler," and wow, what a movie. I suggest it to everyone. It shows a whole different side of the professional wrestling world, and Mickey Rourke does an amazing job as Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Watching this movie triggered some memories of days long, long ago. Well, not really that long ago. But the late 90's, for me, is half a lifetime ago.

Kevin Greene came to mind. And for those of you who don't remember, I wonder how many Packers will be bringing this up to him.

Greene had a few brief stints with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) back in the late 90's, and his original partner, former bear Steve McMichael, became his biggest enemy after breaking up their tag team in favor of the "Four Horsemen." Greene defeated McMichael after returning from a brief time away from the sport, to get his revenge on his former partner. Check out this interview MouthpieceSports did with McMichael about his wrestling days. But isn't it only fitting that when the two faced off head to head, the Packer got the best of the Bear?

MUSIC TO MY EARS... OR EYES...

On Monday, Pete Prisco, a writer for CBSSports.com, wrote an article arguing an idea that seems to be lost in today's football media: The Packers are STILL the greatest football franchise of all time. After winning Super Bowl XLIII, he agrees with many that the Steelers are the best of the Super Bowl era. How can anyone argue, however, against 12 championships? One in the 20's, four in the 30's, one in the 40's, five in the 50's, and one in the 90's. That's double what the Steelers have won, and Pittsburgh's franchise has been around since 1933 (the Pack joined the NFL in 1921). The Bears are a "close" second at 9 championships, and that "close" is still only 75% of what Green Bay has won. So, all hail the Green Bay Packers... And fellow Long Islander Pete Prisco for knowing the best franchise in the history of American football.