FanNation - The Republic of Sport

After a month of squabbling, back-stabbing, insults, and trade rumors, the first day of the Packers, AF (After Favre) has finally come and gone.  As a Packer fan, there are many, many reasons to be encouraged, and there are also some reasons to worry.  Here they be;

1) Aaron Rodgers...we could analyze his performance in last night's preseason game until we were blue in the face.  He only played a quarter, in a preseason game - but, I believe more then ever that this kid is for real.  Not because of the great accuracy he showed in his passes - but because of the incredible amount of maturity and class he has shown throughout this whole ordeal.  Frankly, I would have been here first thing in the morning to defend him had he played poorly.  The amount of pressure he has been under is almost beyond comprehension.  So, to say he most likely had butterflies in his stomach, is probably the understatement of the last 100 years.  But, for all the tension, nervousness and apprehention that Aaron Rodgers must have been feeling, when he first led his team out of the Lambeau tunnel - you have to admit, he nailed it last night.  Yes, I know already - it was a preseason game.  Against a terrible Bengals defense, no less.  But again, refer to everything I just said about him having to replace a Wisconsin institution, like #4.  Furthermore, the performance he had last night was also a huge weight lifted off his chest.  Had he played a bad game, he would've been forced to dwell on it for the next week - and most likely have to hear more  cat-calls from the Favre loyalists at camp.  But instead, he got the very first preseason game out of the way, and now can focus on improving even more.  You could just see it in his postgame interview - the huge grin on his face, and just the way he seems to have the confidence now to stick it to everyone who has doubted him so far.  Unfortunately, the only drawback to this game, was that interception.  It was not his fault.  But, knowing some of the dim-witted bandwagon Favre loyalists out there, who didn't watch the game because they're Jets fans now - they're probably going to pick up the paper this morning, see the box score, and suddenly feel like they were right about everything they've said about Favre.  Now, of course, all of this is assuming that Favre loyalists can actually read...my guess is no, they can't.  But I've been proven wrong before...

2) The receivers...after watching James Jones make that great finger tip catch, in which he immediately had his helmet knocked off his head, and then proceeded to waltz into the end zone, I jumped up and screamed, "best damn receiving corp on the planet!"  That is probably a bit of an exaggeration - but at the same time, I have said it all along; that group of receivers is exactly why Aaron Rodgers is going to have a good season.  With these guys, I'm almost convinced that any regular joe could step in there, and pass for 3,000 yards.  People keep knocking on Rodgers for his supposed lack of long ball ability - but he doesn't need to throw the long ball all the time!  Maybe if some of you people actually watched the Packers last year, you would realize this.  Sure, McCarthy will give Rodgers the green light now and then.  But, same as last year, the majority of the passes thrown are going to be short - and the receivers will do the rest.  Each one of them, from Driver to Martin, has the ability to break multiple tackles, and turn a 6 yard pass into a 30 yard gain.  Oh yeah, and how about Driver completely leveling that Cincy cornerback?  Who cares what that guy's name was...any defender who gets blown up that bad by a receiver, really doesn't deserve to be recognized.

3) The defense...looked great.  Considering both Harris and Woodson were not playing either -that has to be a great sign.  Hawk and Barnett were everywhere on the field, and I was also happy to see multiple defenders on the Packers side make good hits on players who had caught the ball, turning a sure completion into an incompletion.  And unlike Rodgers, who was able to get an easy start with a weak defense - the Green Bay defense was matched up against a good offense.  

4) The Packers really need to get their backup quarterback situation worked out.  I'm sure Brian Brohm or Matt Flynn could not only be good backups, but I think either of them have the talent to be starters...eventually.  Unfortunately, this team is not exactly in rebuilding mode - and if Aaron Rodgers gets injured, then this team is eventually up a smelly creek without a paddle.  They really can't afford that...I'm not sure who is still on the market, but this team is going to need a veteran backup, who can at least step onto the field in a pressure situation without soiling himself.

5) Congrats to the Packer fans who attended the game last night.  I think I might have heard a few scattered boos following that interception, but otherwise, the vast majority of the 70,000 fans there showed great support for this team's future.  As I had hoped, the people who were causing the biggest ruckus about Favre not coming back, were actually a small but vocal minority.  In the end, the true Packers fan will root for the team, and not just one person.  And while some of us may disagree with how Packers management handled the situation, in the end we aren't just fans of one player - we're fans of the Packers. Fortunately, Favre's army of twits serves him under a flag of a different shade of green.  So, here's to a new era in Green Bay, and here's to getting world title #13 - with #12 as our QB.