Neal & Quarless Return to Green Bay

Green Bay Packers have yet to sign a free agent in the first three days of free agency. This makes fans mad to no end which is surprising since this is the exactly how every March goes for Green Bay. Honestly, I have no idea why multiple Twitter users waste time and energy to fire tweets to radio personalities, journalists and others bitching about the philosophy. Things aren't changing. Well Green Bay made two more moves in the past couple days by bringing back Mike Neal and Andrew Quarless on both two years deals with Neal getting around eight million and Quarless for three million. Both players bring a great deal to the table moving forward.

Sometimes, it is lost on fans and people looking at Green Bay that Neal was a second-round draft pick. He has a wealth of talent. Neal is going to be used as a hybrid player for the next two years at Green Bay. While it might make sense to keep him at one position, Neal can be a guy that moves around in a three technique or standing up off the edge. That's rare to have in the National Football League, but it appears Neal's true calling is rushing the quarterback off the edge standing straight up.

It gets lost on people through all of the bad things that happened on defense last season, but Neal filled in pretty well for Clay Matthews. He led the team in quarterback hurries last season and seemed to have a knack at finding where the quarterback was on a frequent basis. Green Bay does not have a large amount of those players. After Matthews, Mike Daniels, the list starts falling off a bit, and I would probably slate Neal third. There is no reason why he should not be considered a starter or battling for the starter position opposed from Matthews. Neal being back with the team will only help them in the next two years as they try to strengthen their defense.

Quarless is someone whom could never stay healthy. He always battled through injuries, but people still see
the potential with him. Seven teams put out feelers on Quarless which is nearly a fourth of the league meaning  the rest of the league thinks there is still a ceiling there. I would tend to agree as he will only be 26 years old once October rolls along and showed glimmers of being a reliable option. He did not drop the ball as much as years past last season plus he had two straight strong games against Atlanta and Dallas last season catching seven and six balls for the tune of 66 yards and a touchdown in both games. Now hopefully, this does not stop Green Bay from adding another tight end through the draft or free agency though.

Quarless is a good player, good option to have, but I do not think he is a number one tight end. They add an Owen Daniels who was in for a visit yesterday, visiting Washington as we speak, or get Eric Ebron, Jace Amaro or Troy Nicklus in the draft, that's totally okay. Jermichael Finley does not seem like an option at this point so let's not discuss that avenue until it presents itself, but Green Bay needs to have more than just Quarless at the tight end position.

All and all, the free agent start for Green Bay has been a fine one. They might not be signing the big name guys, but Packers are bringing back players who will help the team for next season. Good to see, and just remember, free agency is a marathon, not a sprint sometimes.

Charlie.

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 79

Tapping The Keg back again for more fun with Charlie and Mitch. The boys begin talking about the new trend in New York City called 'Exerdating' and why it is the worst thing ever. Tinder gets discussed again somehow. We cover all things free agency ranging to some of the big contracts along with Sam Shields and Green Bay not making moves yet which should be expected.  We move on to March Madness with UW-Milwaukee making the tournament along with other things from Championship Week. Bucks get some discussion including why John Henson needs more time. We finish with how Ryan Braun went full heel and why it's great plus some True Detective talk.

Charlie.

NFL Free Agency Comes Out Hot.

The NFL free agency period started yesterday and of course, a lot happened in the first day. We will be doing these sort of recaps until it starts slowing down. Enjoy.  

Denver makes a statement - Broncos were embarrassed in the Super Bowl six weeks ago, and it is pretty clear they are pissed off about it. They add T.J. Ward to bolster their secondary and getting a big hitter to add some toughness. Even if Ward was the only signing of the day, Denver would be on the rise a bit, but then they add Aqib Talib shoring up the Broncos secondary issues. I am not sure about the contract they gave Talib. Remember Tampa Bay chased him out by releasing him mid-season, and New England revitalized his career so are we sure it will continue with Denver? I do not think it is a given we will see the same things from Talib as we did with New England, but right now, adding Talib and Ward plus possibly getting DeMarcus Ware up front looks like a dream team defense.

#SAINTSCLAUSE - One of the more cash-strapped teams in all of the National Football League going into the free agency period was New Orleans Saints. The assumption would be they stay silent during this period and make some little moves. NOPE. Saints blew the door open by signing Jairus Byrd to a six year 54 million dollar deal with a stunning 28 million dollars guaranteed.  I started saying New Orleans got a special clause to get the money to work, but in reality, Saints will move a ton of money plus possibly cutting a couple notable players. New Orleans' secondary has officially become scary with Kenny Vaccaro and Byrd plus two solid corners. I will be interested to see how Byrd handles the bright lights after playing for Buffalo for multiple years.

Packers miss out on Houston and Jones - Who knows what Green Bay's involvement was with these two players, but they expressed interest in both Lamarr Houston and Arthur Jones for defensive line help. Houston went to Chicago for 35 million over five years where he will replace Julius Peppers spot, and like I thought, he would probably prefer to stay in the 4-3. Jones is a young up and coming player that heads to Indianapolis for a little over six million dollars a year. Jones with Robert Mathis will be a scary combination. I would not fret about things Green Bay. They are panicking because many teams around them are making moves yet the season is not won on Day 1 of Free Agency (CLICHE, DRINK).

Southern Style Free Agency - One of the big narratives of Day 1 is how Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Atlanta spent a ton of money while Carolina saw some dudes leave, other retire and just twiddled their thumbs. Atlanta is moving to a 3-4 which reflected their signings adding Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson for their defensive line.  I don't really know about Jackson, but I definitely think Soliai could do some things in an attempt to rebuild Atlanta's defense. Tampa Bay added Michael Johnson to provide off the edge rush, added a defensive tackle Clinton McDonald and Alterraun Verner at cornerback meaning it is curtains for Darrelle Revis. It is evident Lovie Smith wants more of 'his guys' versus the old regime trying to take this team back to the playoffs.

Johnathan Martin moves to San Fran - I am not sure if Johnathan Martin will be a factor for San Francisco. I know why it is a big story, and the fact he gets to come back to the Bay Area where he played college football plus playing for his college coach. Out of college, people were critical of Martin's toughness and felt like he did not really have a mean streak in him. This is a big deal for him to move on, but for him being an NFL athlete, there is nothing really to discuss until we see how Martin does on the field.

Safety Day - Besides Ward and Byrd, four other safeties made changes to different teams. Donte Whitner heads to Cleveland to replace Ward, San Francisco gets Antoine Bethea from Indianapolis to replace Whitner. Philadelphia added Malcolm Jenkins which in comparison to the other guys looks like Taco Bell compared to eating at four or five star restaurant.

Um Oakland - I wish I could tell you what Oakland Raiders were doing on Day 1.  They lose out on Jared Veldheer to Arizona and they replace him with Rodger Saffold who did not really pan out tackle, more so a guard but it appears he is heading back to tackle with Oakland. They also added Austin Howard from New York and he might be a better signing than Saffold because he is a raw talent. There is a greater chance he could really become something for this team or fizzle out quickly making 2013 just an aberration.

Charlie.

A Safe, Expensive Bet on the Future of Sam Shields

Green Bay Packers had a decision to make with Sam Shields, their up and coming cornerback, this offseason. They could either bring Shields back, or let him go to another team. Many people believed Shields would get paid within the range of six to eight million dollars. Instead, Shields broke the bank like that Schoolboy Q song, with a four year 39 million dollars contract with a 12.5 million dollar signing bonus. This caused people to overreact like they were just subtweeted, but in reality, the contract works for both as Green Bay took a risk on his potential which is probably the smart one to make for this team.

Many people believe the contract is too high for a player of Shields's caliber because the past couple years do not equate to the money he will be getting over the next four years.  People need to remember they are paying for him to be good in the short-term future. It is a lot like the futures market on Wall Street where you are betting on something to happen in a positive manner. Just like Randolph and Mortimer Duke bet on the future orange juice market, Green Bay and Ted Thompson are betting on Shields' future which looks brighter than most cornerbacks right now. 

Sam Shields vs. A.J. Green, Josh Gordon, Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson in 2013 (5 games): Allowed 8 catches, 129 yards, 1 TD.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) March 9, 2014

This tweet from Zach Kruse of Bleacher Report and Cheesehead TV is all that should tell you about why betting on Shields is the right idea. That's not a small sample size either. Shields basically kept three of the best receivers in football whom happened to see Green Bay twice a year in complete check. Oh yeah, he also did the damn thing against Alshon Jeffery. Shields is developing into a lockdown corner, and yes, he is not great against the rush yet he can hold down some of the best in the business. When people are wondering about his paycheck, these are the statistics needed to be used to look at Shields versus just reference the contract numbers. What's something I think people miss out on is Green Bay rarely on beat on vertical routes. Almost all of their problems happened over the middle. Shields and Tramon Williams did a great job on the edge, but that's get lost because the safeties were so damn bad.   

One of the other interesting things about Shields contract is he only gets paid six million dollars in his second year. He gets 15 million next year with contract and bonus, and only two million plus the usual three million dollar bonus in 2015.  In case you were wondering, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga are all up in 2015 meaning Green Bay found a way to pay Shields and defer money in that particular season to pay all of their other cornerstone players. While the 15 million dollars might people uneasy like Marty Hart watching the lost tape, it is only to cover Green Bay wanting to pay him severely less in  2015 to ensure they can get the other horses in place. 18 million dollars finishes off the four year journey with Shields, and by that time, nine million dollars a year will probably make sense. 

The only thing where there should be concern is the microscope becomes bigger on Shields. He never really had any pressure to perform. For the most part, people liked him as a player and no really took issue with him. If Green Bay struggles against the pass, Shields will get the blame right away. He becomes enemy number one in the cynical fans mind because he is quote 'making too money' plus all of the hot takes that follow with the particular quote.  That is the part of it where I worry about how this will play out for Shields. Fans will now expect him to be perfect which is highly unrealistic and stupid yet that's the fanbase at times. Hopefully, the pressure does not get to Shields and he keeps playing at his high rate because all will be forgotten about the money if he is making plays like this one. 

Green Bay's bar is set for the offseason. Half of the salary cap room is now slashed and they might bring back the likes of B.J. Raji, James Jones and Mike Neal if the money is right for the Packers. Thompson knows what he wants to pay for these players, and he will not go any higher than the bar set for all of these players. Thompson knows, he always does no matter what anyone else thinks of him.

Charlie. 

Tapping The Keg Episode 78

Mitch and Charlie doing their usual podcast thing today where many topics are discussed. It begins withCharlie's review of the Krewella concert at The Rave on Saturday evening. The sports talk begins with Milwaukee Bucks with all of the old players coming back, and why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is selfishly looking at this team. We also discuss the Bucks strong play of late. Topic stays with NBA where LeBron James v. Kevin Durant, and everything else going on in the NBA. It continues to Major League Baseball about why Spring Training should not be taken that seriously. We finish up with Packers free agency talk along with March Madness and a little bit of NHL trade deadline talk.

Mitch and Charlie.

Packers Go Tag Free in March

On Monday, the National Football League had tag day. It was the last day where teams could officially give a player a franchise tag or a transition tag. Green Bay Packers could have tagged Sam Shields or B.J. Raji ensuring they would not enter the open market. That did not happen as Green Bay decided not to use their tag meaning Shields and Raji could end up players for other NFL teams this Fall. Although this is not the end for either player in Green Bay at the very moment, all it means is the Packers have a plan in place and franchise tags were not a part of it.

Shields was the one player where a franchise tag might have been expected from Green Bay. There seems to be some thoughts that he will be in high demand as a young secondary member with blazing speed plus his ability to lock down some of the top wide receivers in the NFL. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Green Bay wants to give Shields a Tim Jennings-like contract where Chicago Bears inked him up for 22 million dollars over four years. It appears like Shields wants a little bit more than that, so the question is how much is too much for Green Bay?  

There are a couple things to think about here when looking at Shields right now. First, there are rumblings the salary cap will increase by 20 percent in three years meaning if a team were to give a player much more money than expected, they might be protected three years down to road if they screw up.  Second, Miami Dolphins re-signed Brett Grimes, a 30-year-old Pro Bowl cornerback for 32 million with 16 million guaranteed spread over four years. Shields is 26 years old with some promise, but not the accolades Grimes has right now with Pro Bowl appearances. In my eyes, Shields will probably seek a contract near Grimes but fall somewhere in-between Grimes and Jennings.  If that's the case, there is reason to sign Shields but if he gets Grimes money, Green Bay can afford to see him go. 

Sometimes, it gets lost on people that paying a player when they should be heading into their prime usually yields results. The prime of a professional athlete can be tough to define yet there is evidence to show when it actually happens for most guys. Green Bay have rarely gave up on players when they know a ceiling still might be there. Additionally if Shields was 29 right now with the same sort of accolades, he will probably be a complete afterthought for Green Bay and move on to greener pastures. The opportunities are endless with Shields, but if a team overpays him, it will not be Green Bay.  

Certain positions on Green Bay do not have depth, but the secondary features a stable of Tramon Williams, Micah Hyde, Casey Hayward, Davon House and Jarrett Bush. Hayward was a damn near Pro Bowler during his rookie year and could not stay on the field this season. Hyde became a pretty strong player by the end of the year plus Williams played his best in the last couple of years in the final couple weeks of the season. They could afford to lose Shields. He is a fan favorite, but they have the depth to afford to lose Shields if a team gives him an asinine amount of money.  

As for Raji, no one really expected Green Bay to give him the franchise tag. This seems to be a fractured relationship honestly. Packers tried to pay him, but Raji felt he was owed eight million dollars. Raji pulled the anti-Bill Hall having one of the more underwhelming years in a contract season. There is a chance Raji might feel slighted because Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers likes to rotate players in and out. Although money talks and if he gets the James Jones treatment which is entirely possible where Raji does not get the contract he wants, there are good odds he might take the offer Green Bay puts on the table for him. There is a great deal of unpredictability with Raji more so than Shields.   

Others have wondered if the Packers might be hunting bigger fish in the sea getting rid of Shields and Raji all together opening more money for Green Bay to make some major moves. Jairus Byrd is completely on the table in my eyes if that's the case, same goes for T.J. Ward or Linval Joesph. All of these players could be players for Green Bay or nothing at all. With not applying tags, it means there is possibility for more free agents as people murmured about in the past month. 

This is the first time in a couple years where big name, likable Packers are involved with free agency. Honestly, it is a terrifying experience because there will be news of a player visiting this team or a player slighted by Green Bay's contract. It is time to see what happens in free agency and how this team could change for the better or worse in 2014. 

Charlie.  

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 77

Tapping The Keg podcast is back for another edition as Charlie and Mitch discuss all sorts of things in a nice 45 minute podcast.  We start off talking about the distinctive music tastes around the United States of America, Milwaukee Bucks talk ranging from Caron Butler's buyout to Jeff Adrien being a part of the long-term plan for the team. We move on to discuss about Johnny Manziel and the criticism around him. Mitch and Charlie do a non-Hank The Dog edition of talking about Milwaukee Brewers ranging from their over/under number, Spring Training get started and Yankees interested Rickie Weeks. Our discussion carries us to James Jones and his future with Green Bay. Mitch rants quickly about U.S. Hockey. We finish up talking Jason Collins and the culture of sports.

Charlie & Mitchell.

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 75

The first ever Tapping The Keg Podcast with a guest.... The guest is not someone famous, but he thinks he is as Nolan Murphy joins us from Cleveland. We talk about the recent news regarding Green Bay Packers then Murph takes us through what a mess it is in Cleveland with the Browns along with whom they might be drafting in May. Our podcast gets going with the usual topics between Charlie and Mitch as they discuss the enjoyment of Sunday Fundays, Michael Sam and what could transpire in the coming months, Milwaukee Bucks possibly getting new owners, Marcus Smart situation along with a couple other college basketball notes. We finish out with the Olympics and the most American ending.

Charlie.

Packers Free Agent Philosophy to Change?

For years, Green Bay Packers fans have wanted their team to spend more money. The demand was there, but Ted Thompson would not listen sticking to the plan of getting players through the draft versus dropping major coin on free agent. It appears the fan base will have their wish this offseason as NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports Green Bay could sign as many as five free agents to revamp their defense to make a quicker, faster version of Dom Capers' 3-4 defense which will also mean B.J. Raji could be sent packing. Green Bay could be spending on some of the big players, but also some under the radar free agents worth looking at plus what it means for players on the team right now and Packers free agents.

This obviously excites some people, but it should be tempered as free agents are not a given to be great plus it does not mean they will be major free agents. Green Bay will be smart about it meaning they are not going to be major players with every free agent on the market, but I have to assume they have some targets to make their defense better. Green Bay realizes what they are doing is not working, and while they succeeded at stopping the run, their secondary plus their pass rush was nothing to talk about. It has not been since the Super Bowl season. This is where Green Bay wants to make a difference.

The other thing people need to realize is there is not a guarantee these contracts will be for top free agents where they are giving a guy, five years and 60 million dollars. They could sign a couple free agents in the range of one or two years for 12 to 16 million dollars. That's perfectly okay. Seattle Seahawks did that with guys like Michael Bennett, same goes with New England and San Francisco. All of them feasted off these big one or two year contracts, and while usually they cannot resign them, they help in the short-term. Green Bay is smarter to judge a player's full career versus one or two down years.

People were to create a wish list for free agents there are some names that could fit what the Packers want for 2014. The first name is Brian Orakpo from Washington. He plays outside linebacker, and a complete game-changer. Orakpo would create massive problems for opposing offenses seeing him and Clay Matthews on the outside. I would question why bring in an outside linebacker when they drafted Nick Perry a couple years ago and moved position for Mike Neal. Another name people would like is either Jairus Byrd or T.J. Ward at safety. Byrd is likable with his ability to make plays, and Ward is a straight up hitter giving Green Bay an edge they have needed for awhile. If Thompson signs a safety, it likely means he does not like the NFL Draft prospects.

A couple names that might go under the radar but worth a look would be Linval Joesph and Lamarr Houston. These are players whom have both been in a 4-3 system, but they have the beef to be part of a 3-4 especially if Green Bay is going a bit smaller.  The Giants defensive tackle is 330 pounds meaning he can move around to all three positions plus if the idea is to go small, it seems like Joesph, a former second round pick could contribute to this team. Houston is around 300 pounds, but I still think he could play a defensive end for Green Bay as a smaller guy along side with a couple others already on the Green Bay roster.

This also obviously raise questions about Green Bay's defense as they are today.  A couple things I would be interested to watch is what happens with Neal, Mike Daniels and Raji. Does Green Bay tell him to move back to defensive end, or use him as a hybrid like 3-4 systems in college football do with some of their players?  Also Daniels has to be a reason as to why Green Bay might be changing mentality a bit. They realize his star power and the fact he does not really fit right now with what the Packers have meaning Daniels should be expected to play a larger role with this squad.  As for Raji, I do not see him coming back to this team, same goes for Ryan Pickett. It sounds like Green Bay is tired of their old system and does not really want some of the key cogs back on the team.

In whatever way this goes down, it is still exciting. There was some criticism of Thompson not listening to his pro scouts and being too stubborn. Thompson basically shuts all of that down if this report becomes true as he sees a need to change because the window is slowly yet surely closing on this team.

Charlie.

Return of Nick Collins?

There are not many former Green Bay Packers players, the fans have missed more than Nick Collins. He greeted the Lambeau Field faithful in the final home game of the season and received a big roar with hearing people saying 'We love you Nick, come back!' Those pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as Collins had a debilitating neck injury that would keep him off the field for the end of time. Collins never really retired, but it was all but assumed, he probably would not be playing again in the National Football League. As everything these days, social media might tells a different story as Collins said this on Twitter yesterday and last night.

Nickdapick36 is ready for action.
— Nick Collins (@nickdapick36) February 3, 2014

Who's looking for a top notch free safety. This kid is ready to dominate #2014
— Nick Collins (@nickdapick36) February 4, 2014

All of the sudden, Collins announces his return to football. I have to imagine he heard some good news about his neck injury. With the way modern science works and some other stuff that we can keep our heads buried in the sand for now, Collins is ready to play again in the NFL. This could be great news for Packers fans, or it could be the start of 'Fire Ted Thompson' chants again if Green Bay does not bring back Collins next year if he is fully cleared. The thing about Collins is Green Bay released him for monetary purposes and not really due to anything else. There is no ill-will towards the team meaning the return could possibly happen because it is worth the risk. 

My assumption would be Collins despite his All-Pro nature, would probably only garner one or two years worth around eight to 12 million dollars (Higher if we are talking two years). No one is going to give him a major deal coming off an neck injury, and the fact he has not played in two years means Collins will be given a lower contract this year only to get a major deal the following year if he plays well again. Green Bay needs to at least give it a thought because there is nothing better with safeties right now. They have not replaced him and it has been two years. Let that sink in for a second.

Green Bay's safeties are a complete mess. Morgan Burnett is probably a strong safety, and he did play much better at that position. Collins would provide some leadership in the secondary as well as help teach Burnett like he did in previous years. For Green Bay to trust Burnett another year and not at least explore the idea of a Collins' return is arrogant. There is no reason to bring a guy back in the fold that still enjoys hanging out with teammates from Green Bay. Over the weekend, Collins, Tramon Williams and James Jones were hanging in the Bahamas and Collins looks pretty good for not playing football in the last couple of years.  

My bros @nickdapick36 And James jones just enjoying the moment. #Bahamastakeover pic.twitter.com/8W7Kojc97Y
— Tramon Williams (@HighRizer38) February 1, 2014

This now becomes the story to watch for Green Bay fans in the first month of the offseason. If Collins comes back, we will need to manage some expectations but that's a story for another time. All in all, I am happy to see Collins have the ability to return to the game he loves after thinking there was no chance two years ago. 

Charlie. 

First Taste: Coca-Cola + Lambeau = Win

I honestly thought this was a disappointing year for the advertisers. There was not really a stand alone advertisement where I could point to it and say 'There is a winner.' This one I am leading off our program with has its flaws... The kid drinks a Coca-Cola while playing a football game and he is able to stay hydrated until making it to Lambeau Field. Although I have to show this one as it is giving Ashwaubenon some love and Green Bay. It is rare to see Wisconsin be the main feature in a national advertisement, but here is one example. Even if the commercial has defects, it is a nice look for the state to be featured in the biggest game of the year.

Charlie.

Fail Mary Forgiveness.

My good buddy Doz told me at the bar in December he asked for a Russell Wilson shirt jersey for Christmas. Doz is as big of a Wisconsin Badgers fan as you will meet in the state of Wisconsin. But I scoffed at the idea. I could not believe he chose to support a team had a hand in screwing over Green Bay out of a win which could have affected the playoffs that year. Yes I still felt some bitterness towards that game. Some might call it over-the-top, and others might call it reasonable as I think all Packers fans can say they hope no other team goes through that fiasco.

Usually, I try to be a person who does not have a great deal of grudges because I feel like life is easier that way versus being mad at certain people, certain things for stupid reasons. Yet I harbored a grudge towards Seattle because the Fail Mary loss will forever and always be the most heartbreaking regular season loss until Green Bay loses out of a playoff spot on a last second drive (Sorry Chicago).  After nearly 17 months, I am finally over the game. All is forgiven and I will be cheering for Seattle in the upcoming Super Bowl. Honestly, I probably should be thanking San Francisco for beating Green Bay twice in the last two playoffs.

When Seattle-San Francisco met, it was obviously going to be a great game, but I usually like to pick a team 'I want to see win.' Only real case I could see where I would probably not do that is if two NFC North team played for the NFC title that were not Green Bay and if that happened, my life would probably be at sports rock bottom. San Francisco caused me more strife in the last couple years as a fan versus Seattle where one bad play went against Green Bay in the third game of the season in 2012. It is a long time to keep thinking about a loss, but really when you think about it, what's not to love about Seattle?

Let's start with the obvious answer of Richard Sherman, the man of the hour still 30 hours later. Hell I got fired up at the gym Monday watching the highlights of his final play and his comments afterwards. There is something great about a male or female athlete telling the world they are the best. He is an asshole on the field. But it seems like he is a nice guy off it and in my world, that's perfectly fine. If he was an all-around asshole, that's fine too. People are not perfect. Sooner we can let go of this bullshit notion that 'athletes need to be role models', the better our society will be as a whole. Sherman is a hell of a football player. People need to start acting like he is one of the best instead of just a guy that runs his mouth because he is much more than that.

The fact the entire Seattle Secondary are a group of six feet and over guys looking like MonSTARS on the football field is a revelation. People will try to create their own version of a Legion of Doom for years to come. Kam Chancellor is a complete force, and the fact he watches Sean Taylor highlights before each and every game makes me like him that much more.  Additionally, we have discussed Sherman and Chancellor before mentioning Earl Thomas, a player definitely on the right route to be one of the best players in the National Football League.

Admitting now, Pete Carroll really pissed me off during the Fail Mary game. But I loved Carroll in college. Forever, he was my number one 'I want to have a beer with this guy.' I still do. My dad and I talk about how great it would be to sit down and drink beers with Carroll. He just seems like a fun guy taking life one step at a time. The Seattle coach pisses people off because he gets overly excited on the field plus Carroll running away from USC amid a scandal. Sometimes in life, people need to snake it until they make it which is exactly what Carroll did in his life. Carroll is not even a snake rather a man taking advantage of an opportunity to get out before shit hits the fan.

As I spend the whole year watching Eddie Lacy bully his way through defenders, it makes you respect and watch Marshawn Lynch in different light too. Lynch defines the "Beast Mode" nickname perfectly. Seattle deserves a ton of credit for rebuilding his career after a tumultuous end in Buffalo to make him a great player for Seattle and a top five to seven running back in this league. Lynch is a bruiser and nothing is more fun than watching him bulldoze a couple members of the secondary as he heads into the end zone where Skittles are raining from the sky.

There is the one elephant in the likability of Seattle for some people and it is their weird PED accusations with Sherman and others getting in trouble for substances that were all 'Adderall.' Many people do not believe that too be true. I personally do not either. I have the belief that many NFL players are doing PEDs of some form, and people are burying the head in the sand. This is the steroid era of baseball all over again. I do not care honestly, just wish people would figure it out sooner rather than later. Seattle can pump themselves with PED's because I feel every other team is doing it in some form. While I have no basis for this theory, it is pretty clear what's going on.

The funniest part of Seattle is with all of the unlikable characters, they might have the most likable quarterback in the NFL. There are not many people saying bad words about Wilson the person. I might criticize how he plays, but even I am in a minority there.  I am actually surprised no one came down from a higher power to tell me I could not do it. With this team, it feels like they should have a Johnny Manziel at quarterback with his demeanor, but at least with Russ, people can say 'Man I hate all these Seahawks players but I LOVE RUSSELL WILSON.'  That's a common thing, and maybe it is a good thing. Cannot have a team being 100 percent hateable.

There you have it. I am done trying to hate Seattle. This is a likable team in my eyes. Ryan Braun's ruling really changed my option on sports figures and teams. Embracing the so-called 'bad guys' is fun as hell. It is much funner than believing in a morality code and some faux thing called 'class in sports.' Go Hawks, sorry it took me a Sherman outburst and a game against San Francisco for me to see the light. Cannot wait for Green Bay to take down Seattle in Fall 2014, it will be great.

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Packers Offseason Roundtable

It has been about a week since Green Bay Packers lost their Wild Card game.  It is time to fully look towards the 2014 season even though four teams are still left in the 2013 playoffs. This is our first offseason post for Green Bay, and we lead it off with an idea by Adam Hatlak, our fantasy/jack of all trades blogger, where we gather a bunch of Sportandfashion-news minds together and input our thoughts on the offseason.

People featured here are Adam (AH), Bryan Reynolds (BR), Seth Krueger (SK), Eric Nohelty (EN) Nolan Murphy (NM) and myself, (TAP).

How much money are you willing to give Sam Shields?
Adam Hatlak: Ladarius Webb gets about $8 million per year, with a $10 million guarantee, and I could see Shields ending up with that type of contract wherever he ends up. He might price himself out of the Packers league with playing a premium position as an unrestricted free agent, but they desperately need him back.

Seth Krueger: Four years for seven million a year should put him in top six or seven in league for cornerbacks.

Nolan Murphy: Shields graded out at Top 20 NFL corner in the regular season during 2013 and held opposing quarterbacks to 72.7 passer rating. A secondary with Shields, a healthy Hayward and restructured Tramon Williams could help the Packers. Sammy is one of the fastest players in the NFL, but Thompson will be reluctant to franchise him at a projected $11.256 number. Offering Shields a four-year 30 million deal would be my range. Moving Hyde to safety and hoping Morgan Burnett can dig himself out of his grave in 2014 could save this Packers defense.

Sportandfashion-news: I am fine with the range of seven to nine million dollars a year for Shields. He is represented by Drew Rosenhaus whom has a solid relationship with Green Bay, but that man will try to milk as much money as humanly possible out of a team. My only concern is Shields is young and good enough that some team with secondary (Houston?, Detroit?)  needs might overpay him.

Do you bring back BJ Raji, for how much? 

SK: Not for over eight million a year.

TAP: Honestly, there is not much about Raji's game this year that makes me think this guy is worth over five million a year. Now he only played 50 percent of snaps, and quite possibly the defense the Raji camp will make is if he played more, the output would have been better from him. I would deem him the most likely to leave the team because people overpay nose tackles due to think every fat dude will be Vince Wilfork.

NM: This question would be easier if Ryan Pickett and C.J. Wilson were not free agents as well. The Freezer has not been as effective at the rush 3-4 end but a move back inside to nose tackle could make him a force again. Raji reportedly turned down eight million per year and will not get that again. This could be very similar to the James Jones situation in 2011 where you let the player sniff free agency only for Raji to return on a team friendly contract.

AH: Any player is worth a contract at the right price, but the price I'd pay for Raji won't bring him back. He already seemed like a player who had issues getting motivated, and it got worse during a contract year. He rejected an offer at $8 million per year and had a bad season, based on his performance, I'd drop the offer to $6 million per year and make it incentive laden. He's probably gone.

Priority number one of the offseason?
Bryan Reynolds: Pick up a linebacker/defensive end to fit the system. Green Bay needs an edge rusher who can put his hand down and bang in the trenches.

AH: Regardless of positions, find a big physical player or two for the defense. The concerns about being "soft" are gone in my opinion, but they still don't have many players who strike fear into opposing offenses over the middle. Teams are afraid of Clay, but can gameplan against him, after that there's not much to fear.

Eric Nohelty: Pass rush. Thompson needs to swallow his pride and go get a proven pass rusher in free agency. We cant waste 12's prime waiting for someone to develop. We need a guy that can get to the passer without having to blitz multiple guys. You saw the 49ers get after Aaron Rodgers while rushing four and still covering everyone.

NM: Getting the offensive line healthy. Former 1st round pickers Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod will need to be healthy heading into OTA’s for this Packers offense to return to their 2011 form. This could answer a ton of questions heading into the draft if the Packers retain Evan Dietrich-Smith at center as well as figure out the rest of the line shuffle.
Who stays/leaves in defensive backfield?

EN: Morgan Burnett stays... he looked bad a lot this year but he had a big black hole playing along side him at the other safety. If you remember back to the short time Burnett played alongside Nick Collins he looked like he had an awful lot of potential.

BR: I think Shields deserves to stay. He is a playmaker and a good guy to learn behind Tramon Williams.

AH: Bring back Tramon, Shields, House, Hayward, Hyde,Bush, Burnett, Banjo, Richardson. I would see if Tramon is willing to take a pay cut, and if he or Hyde would be able to play safety, I'd move one of them there. Tramon talked about wanting to see a defensive veteran leader on the field, I think he could fill that role.

SK: MD Jennings, whoop whoop gone

TAP: Honestly, they have a lot to work with here. Thompson is getting better I think at admitting his mistakes when he makes them, and knows Jennings is a mistake. If they can shore up the safety position, the defensive backfield is not that far off from being pretty good.

How many times do you cut Marshall Newhouse? 

NM: I refuse to comment on this player personal move. I hope I never have to speak or hear of Newhouse again.

TAP: Every team I cheered for in 2013 had one player to piss me off and Newhouse was Green Bay's. See ya bud.

What's your wish list for the 2014 NFL Draft, whether it be certain players or positions? 

 SK:Safety, inside linebacker, tight end

AH: I still believe in best player available, but a hard hitting safety and a run stopping middle linebacker would be nice to see. A fourth round pick on an athletic tight end could be good as well.

BR: Safeties. All of ‘em. Since Green Bay lost Collins, we have been garbage on the backside.

EN: Pass rush and safety help. Pass rush is the most important because no matter how good of a DB you have no one is covering an NFL receiver for five plus seconds.

NM: If Jermichael Finley does not return which seems likely I think targeting an explosive TE like Texas Tech’s bad boy Jace Amaro or North Carolina’s Eric Ebron. I think finding more depth at the outside linebacker position will be something heavily addressed on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

TAP: Murph stole my thunder honestly and let me tell you, this will enrage Packers fans yet I will love it so much. Amaro and Ebron make this team better ASAP.

Bulaga or Bakthiari at LT?
EN: Bakthiari --- he had a successful season, why mess him up by making him learn the right side. Not to mention Bulaga has been successful on at RT and did not sound like he was all that comfortable moving to LT before last season. Stick them both in the positions they are most comfortable at and move forward without playing musical offensive linemen every season. This is a good, talented group up front... they just need some consistency and time to work with each other.

NM: Bakthiari played and looked like a rookie I felt. This coaching staff needs to figure out what it has in Buluga at LT before moving him down the line. I think as they move farther into the prime of Aaron Rodgers, keeping him upright will be stressed by the “organization”

AH: Bakthiari should be the left tackle of the future, he's earned that and it will allow for Bulaga to play at a near Pro Bowl level on the right.

BR: I will take the youth of Bakthiari. He gets a lot of penalties, partially due to his short arms, but I like the enthusiasm and the experience he gained this year.

Besides Lacy, who is the one first or second year player you are most excited for their future?
AH: Since the five threat set of Jennings, Driver, Nelson, Jones, and Finley a few years ago, the offense has always had a new wrinkle added to it. There was the year that Cobb developed into a slot receiver threat, and Lacy brought back the running game. I'm most excited to see if Johnathan Franklin can develop into a Darren Sproles type back that can catch the ball in space and be explosive. The majority of carries should go to Lacy, but Franklin could be a good speed back.

SK: Mike Daniels

NM: Micah Hyde is hopefully not going to have a sophomore campaign like last year’s rookie standout Casey Hayward. There is talk around the Packers that Hyde could be moved to safety, which would be a huge upgrade for the Packers if he could succeed there. I’m also intrigued with the play of Brandon Bostick. The Packers have done an incredible job on developing offensive talent from within and people should remember Finley was extremely raw early on in his career.

TAP: I like Seth, love Mike Daniels but my biggest fear with him he will leave the first chance he gets to be a 4-3 defensive end because that is his natural position.

What happens at TE?
EN: J-Mike comes back at a discount because no one will take a chance on his neck.

BR: I think Thompson will sign Finley. He got off to a great start to the year in 2013 and it is hard not to wonder if that will continue. Brandon Bostick is probably a better option for the future over Quarless, but I think we need Finley now.

AH: I'd like to see Bostick get the chance to develop with Rodgers. Quarless was okay this past season, but doesn't seem to have the same physical gifts he had before his injury. Bostick has the potential to be a vertical threat.

TAP: Given what we have seen with these neck injuries, the verdict does not really come to fruition until a full year. I think Green Bay will make up their mind with what happens in the draft or even the offseason. If they do nothing with tight ends, J-Mike returns.

Who is the NFC North team that scares you the most going forward?
AH: This may sound like being an absolute homer, but I think the Packers are still set up to win the next three division championships at least. This past season was an absolute disaster by most fans admission, but they still won the division. Give this team 16 games of Rodgers, and they should win every year. I also don't have a lot of faith in the other three teams. The Vikings will need time for their quarterback to develop, and by the time that happens, Peterson will be past his prime. The Bears finally have a dominant offense, just in time for their defense to be a disaster. The Lions have the most threatening talent, and a new coach may make them the best challenger, but their cap situation is going to be a mess with so many high picks selected in the old CBA.

SK: Chicago Bears

BR: Bears. If it wasn’t for their defense being terrible this year, they would have snuck by us to get the division. Their offense isn’t going anywhere but up and with a couple additions on defense, they should run this division.

Do you bring back James Jones?

NM: Yes, he wants to be a Packer and I think his veteran presences can continue to help players like Cobb and Boykin. It would be hard to find a free agent (Lets be real Teddy T isn’t bringing in no over-priced free agent) or rookie who can play both positions for the Packers. Remember Jones caught 14 touchdowns in 2012 and is always a wild card to go off.

EN: See 2011...... let him test the FA waters and see if anyone wants to over pay him. If not, you bring him back on another short term deal. If yes, you let him walk and move forward with Jordy, Cobb, and Boykin.

TAP: I have a feeling someone will overpay him this time and not make the same mistake again as they did in 2011. I love Jones, one of my favorites, but I believe there is only a 20 percent chance he is back.

SK: Obviously, I think he should come back. No question about it. 

BR: No, I don’t think he is worth paying and risking losing the other free agents. I like the development of Boykin and think he can take that 2/3 receiver spot that Jones has occupied.

Will James Starks get starting running back money?
AH: I don't think so. He may get more than solid backup money, but there aren't enough true starter positions available for teams to sign Starks while feeling safe about his injury history. Keep in mind the following are free agents at running back this year, and might be valued more than Starks this year: Maurice Jones Drew, Darren McFadden, Donald Brown, Andre Brown, Toby Gerhart, Ben Tate, LeGarrette Blount, Rashad Jennings, and Joique Bell.

NM: He won’t get the money Ben Tate is looking forward to cashing in. Running back is such an interesting element in the league now with teams really just developing their own stable of running backs. Starks has never been able to stay healthy to carry the load, but remember the Mike Holmgren Browns gave former Packers castoff and injury prone Brandon Jackson 2-year 4.5 million deal after the 2011 lockout. He will not be coming back to the Packers unfortunately unless it’s on team friendly one-two year deal.

TAP: Adam basically convinced me Starks will be back next season although Green Bay has a wealth of runners.

Any free agents you've got your eye on?
EN: Jarius Byrd.... but its unlikely that TT will make a foray into free agency or that the Packers could afford him anyways. With all the money locked up in Rodgers, Matthews, and potentially Raji the Pack's best shot in FA is to land a veteran looking to join a winning team at a discount ---- can you say Jared Allen????

AH: I like the method of waiting until the big names are gone, to make sure people are acquired at a good price, but it's tough to predict who that would happen with.

TAP: I love Eric's Jared Allen suggestion. Love it so goddamn much.

How do you fix defense?
AH: A few more playmakers that can grab some turnovers. The yards felt the same as other seasons, but the team wasn't able to come up with as many turnovers as in the past. The only way to fix it is find a few players, regardless of position that can get the ball back. I would make everyone fight for their job in camp, nobody is safe (except for maybe Clay).

SK: Incorporate more 4-3, capers coached 4-3 D in Jacksonville and they were first in points and sixth in yards.

TAP: If they are able to pass rush as this has been a theme of the post, things will fall in place. Green Bay needs not to be complacent.

Any coaching changes?
AH: Looks like they'll need a new QB coach, and I'd also look at maybe switching DB coach if they truly think the talent acquired should be up to par at safety. If its an error on talent acquisition, then they should be safe. Capers is safe for me.

TAP: I do not think anything needs to truly change although I am sure there are some coaches that will get promotions.

Sportandfashion-news Staff 

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 70

Tapping The Keg podcast returns from a two-week holiday break. We had a fun show as Mitch and I (Charlie) missed each other. We recap New Year's Eve a bit as we spent it together and why it might be a sign we are getting old. Sports get started as we talk about the Green Bay Packers in terms of the San Francisco game as well as talk about the future of this team. We preview all of the divisional round games and why no one is trustworthy. We head back to Wisconsin sports chatting about what's left for Wisconsin sports fans since Green Bay is done.  The podcast finishes talking about Jameis Winston, Loul Deng and all sorts of other conversations.

Charlie.

Grading Green Bay Packers Offense

We are wrapping up the Green Bay Packers season with a grading of the offense/defense/special teams of the 2013 season.  I will also choose an MVP for both sides of the ball. 

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers - This is easily the toughest grade to make because you look at it from only about half of the season and if we do, Rodgers did not really have a great season. Let's be honest, he plays out the full season, he might be a fringe Pro Bowler but he did not have a stellar season before he got hurt. You could argue based off the Minnesota game, Rodgers found his stroke again and on his way to make his run, but no one will know that answer, thanks to a collarbone. Although at the end of the day, Rodgers made a case for being the most valuable player every year with his performance in the final game of the season. GRADE B+

Matt Flynn - If you look at 'season-savers', Flynn is one of them for a couple of games. Coming in against Minnesota pulling the team back in the fourth quarter to force a tie and then once again, a comeback against Dallas that will be remembered forever. But there are some lowlights including the whole Detroit game, and generally most of the Pittsburgh game as well. Flynn had such a bad year with other teams, and somewhat redeemed himself with the Packers. GRADE B

Scott Tolzien - The whole idea of Wisconsin Badgers' former quarterback coming in to save Green Bay was too much of a narrative. He made some plays against Philadelphia and one nifty spin move into the end zone against Minnesota, but truthfully, he did not doing anything amazing for Green Bay.  GRADE C-

Seneca Wallace - Nothing real exciting here except for a story when I was in Iowa for a wedding in mid-September. Sunday riding an elevator to breakfast after one of the biggest blackouts since age 21 weary as all get out, possibly still drunk. A conversation starts with an old man about football in Iowa and Green Bay. He goes 'Y'all have one of our boys up there.' Being a dumbass, I assumed he was a Hawkeye fan and asked who? (Forgetting Mike Daniels) and he said 'Seneca Wallace' Completely forgot he held a roster spot back then, oh wrong of me to think of him like that. GRADE D-

Running Back
Eddie Lacy - What a year for Lacy. He played really well all season as a rookie, and got better as the year progressed. If there is one player, I wanted to see further in the postseason was Lacy. He seemed to get stronger as the year moved on. He battled through an ankle injury, asthma and a early season concussion to be likely the Rookie of the Year on the offensive side of the ball.  This might be a little hyperbolic and a little over-the-top but I think Green Bay has two MVP contenders in the next three years in Rodgers and Lacy. He is my MVP for the season without question.  GRADE A

James Starks - I never realized it until FOX Sports Peter Schrager pointed out Lacy and Starks are a ton like Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw plus they happen to wear the same numbers. I would be fascinated to see another year of Starks with Lacy because I think they can be a formidable duo, but he will get a near starter money whether it be from Cleveland, New York Jets or any other team needing to upgrade at running back. Not to mention, Johnathan Franklin can be the change of pace back.  Really nice year for Starks when people thought he might not make the roster in August. GRADE B+

Wide Receiver
Jordy Nelson - Strange year for Jordy. One of the things I expected to be a narrative by Fall of 2014 is how much Rodgers needs Jordy and vice versa. Without Rodgers, Nelson had 504 yards with only one touchdown.  With Rodgers, Nelson had 810 yards with seven touchdowns. Now this amounted to a career season for Nelson going over 1,300 yards for the year becoming the true number one for this team. He finished seventh in Packers history for receiving yards in the year. Nelson is rounding right into his prime and that's a scary thought. GRADE A-

James Jones - Football is weird. Jones had 15 touchdowns last season, and this year, three. He did have over 800 yards, and it was very quiet. He only had two games with over 100 yards of receiving, and it occurred in the first six weeks of the season. A fine year for Jones, but nothing really eye-opening. I do not expect Jones back next year. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did report he played the last two games with broken ribs which is impressive. Loaded wide receiver draft coupled with the play of Jarrett Boykin. I stuck behind him and like him a lot yet I really have no idea how he comes back next year. GRADE B-

Randall Cobb - Tough year for Randy. It is not truly slump as Matt Elam broke his goddamn leg. And let's not forget he had probably one of the most memorable catches in Green Bay's history. That will vault him a couple grades higher for Cobb this season but this season will probably be looked at as a blip on the radar with one major moment involved. GRADE C+

Jarrett Boykin - What is truly weird is I looked at Boykin's numbers, and I would think he would be right around what Jones did for the year, but that is not accurate. Granted, this could have something to do with Boykin not seeing time until the Baltimore game due to injuries. He had his coming out party against Cleveland with a touchdown and over 100 yards. Three out of the next four games Boykin would have at least 85 yards of receiving. It is truly exciting to see what will happen with him next season. Future is bright. GRADE B+

Tight End
Andrew Quarless - At the beginning of the year, I said 'Quarless is the guy you should be booing instead of Jermichael Finley, he drops the balls, not J-Mike.'  After Finley's injury, Quarless did not really step up into the offense until Rodgers went down. He did not have a multiple touchdown game nor a 100 yard game yet he played well against Atlanta and Dallas becoming more reliable as a tight end. He could come back and compete with a rookie tight end because they could really get a game-changer at that position early on. GRADE C+

Jermichael Finley - I am not going to give J-Mike a grade, but I wanted to type a few words saying it was awesome to watch him play with the Packers. I enjoyed being an unabashed defender of him, and I will return to my post if he comes back to the team although I highly doubt he will return. With modern medicine the way it is, I would not doubt Finley comes back and helps out a team next season whether it be Green Bay or not.

Offensive Line
David Bakhtiari - It is really hard to ask a fourth-round draft pick to play left tackle for Green Bay where he needs to protect arguably the best quarterback's blindside. Bakhtiari took some rookie lumps, but in reality, the future looks really bright for him. He handled Jared Allen twice, and did adequately against some of the other greats on the defensive line. The higher grade is due to what Green Bay asked him to do this season. Most people do not understand how hard this was for him. GRADE A-

Josh Sitton - I might get mad about his social media antics at times, but Sitton had a hell of year along with the others inside. Sitton helped bring back the Packers rushing attack. I honestly think he is a better run blocker than pass blocker, and that has not been known until this year. Although when it all said and done, he is a top five offensive guard plus making the smooth transition to the left side helps his grade as well. GRADE B+

Evan Dietrich-Smith - I do not know what to make of EDS. I am not sure he is a great offensive lineman, but I do not think he is average. Somewhere in-between would fit EDS perfectly. He is not the best at anything yet he gets the job, night in and night out.  He gets away with a lot of shit, and that's important when you are an inside man. Dietrich-Smith needs a new contract, and he might be the second-most important to return besides Sam Shields. It is tough to find centers to combine with great quarterbacks. If Rodgers wants EDS, the organization will keep him. GRADE B

T.J. Lang - I feel like he will probably get skewered for an average season because of who played right tackle next to him. As an offensive line, sometimes the guy next to you can limit what you did this season or what people thought of you. I felt like Lang had a close to Pro Bowl year honestly. He did just as much as Sitton to push the line and make things happen inside. Lang will be a solid right guard for years to come. GRADE B+

Don Barclay - I think next year will be better for Barclay. He is the lone lowlight on this offensive line. He will be perfect for the Marshall Newhouse role when Bryan Bulaga comes back into the fold next season. Barclay had too many moments where he got exposed leading to the pocket collapsing. Additionally, he did not do as much on the stretch/toss runs with Lacy/Starks. GRADE C

Marshall Newhouse - I hope I never have to watch this man play football again for my team. GRADE F

Wild Card Recap: Packers Grasp at Destiny Falls Short

Green Bay Packers' theme song going into the Wild Card weekend should have been 'Cinderella Man' by Eminem solely for the first couple lines in the song when Em says 'Technically, I am not really supposed to be right here so fuck it, let's make the most of it." Green Bay had no business being in the playoffs. Absolutely none. They did not have their franchise quarterback for half the year, their defense looked like Swiss cheese more than times than not and they had more injuries than a M.A.S.H. unit yet they still ended up winning the division finding themselves in a home playoff game against San Francisco. Packers came very close to pulling off the upset yet it was not meant to be with old problems haunting the team along with an old nemesis dominating Green Bay again.

Sometimes in the final loss of the season, the demons of the team reared their ugly head once again. This happened with Green Bay's offense as they failed to get off to a fast start, and they struggled to score on the goal line. Packers started off the game with only six yards of offense. It seems like it might be the script is too conservative to start the game more times than not. Three straight runs to begin the game is not really what is expected when Aaron Rodgers is behind center. Mike McCarthy is really hard coach to criticize because the times you want him to be like Ted Cruz, he acts like a hippie and the times you want him to be free as a bird, he goes all Rick Santorum.  But Green Bay getting off to a slow start did not help things, and the team was very fortunate San Francisco only had six points on the board thanks to the true meaning of a bend not break defense. 

Goal line demon did not rear its ugly head until the fourth quarter, probably the worst time for it to happen. For the year, Green Bay is only 50 percent at red zone efficiency which is way down from years past. Granted some of that can be blamed on not having Rodgers, yet this was a major problem when this team had a 6-2 record.  Packers found themselves on on the 10 yard line going in with what could have been their second straight touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.  Green Bay moved the ball down there with a steady dose of short passing and Eddie Lacy bullying the usually tough San Francisco rush defense.  When they went to goal line, it seems what got Green Bay down there went out the window. First down was a short-side zone read run to Randall Cobb and a five-wide set that went nowhere. Second down, the coverage forced Rodgers to throw it away and on third down, Rodgers could only gain two yards on the ground causing Green Bay to tie the game versus putting them ahead. The play calling was mind-boggling in the situation with Lacy bruising and beating up this San Francisco defense for him not to touch the ball once is maddening. Goal line play calling needs to be better next season, no question about it. 

While many people will rush to point the finger at defensive coordinator Dom Capers, he really did call a good game for what he had out there. Losing Sam Shields and Mike Neal right away felt like a death sentence for this defense yet they remained tall out there. They lost another linebacker in Andy Mulumba and Capers made a quick switch to running a 4-3 defense for a couple plays which virtually unheard from the Packers coach. I have no idea if this will be his last game as Packers defensive coordinator despite what the armchair general managers want, but if it is, this is a hell of a way to go out. He did the most with limited amount of pieces out there. The only real compliant from this defense is the inability, for the third straight time, to stop The Angry Ostrich.  

Colin Kaepernick kept his ownership over Green Bay and will continue to give this defense nightmares well into the 2014 year. Once again, Kaepernick did it with his arm and legs being very efficient with his passes, and he also found a way to make it work on the ground nearly running for 100 yards, his second-highest for his career. For the second straight year, there was no contain on Kaepernick letting him run wild and he only made one bad decision all game, an interception to Tramon Williams in the early stages of the game. If Green Bay wants to head back to the Super Bowl, they need to figure out Kaepernick because it is likely they will need to go through San Francisco in order to get there again. 

That leads me to wonder whether San Francisco is the new Dallas in terms of the one team Green Bay just cannot beat in any scenario. For as good as Brett Favre was for his career, he only beat Dallas once and it was a cold game in Lambeau Field post Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer. Aaron Rodgers record against Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco is now 0-4. They will not meet again in the regular season next year, but a postseason affair could definitely happen again whether it be again at Lambeau or a meeting at new Levi Stadium set to open next season. Either way, Green Bay needs to start beating the 49ers before Kaepernick is the new age Troy Aikman for fans. 

2013 season is now in the books. It will be one where people wonder 'what if' ranging from all the injuries to what things might have been like had Rodgers stayed healthy all year. But at the end of the day, this is still a Super Bowl contender for 2014 and they will make moves to better themselves for the upcoming year. 

Charlie. 

Sportandfashion-news NFL Wild Card Picks: Blackouts, Weather and Scoring... Oh My!

It is time to make my NFL picks for the weekend. This was my first season where I tried to bet with Las Vegas. I do not have any experience and think I did slightly below average going 14 games under .500 with a couple pushes thrown in there. I realize how bad it would be actually sports gamble, but I feel like if my money is right, why not? At least try it out and see what happens. As for straight up, it was a successful season once again winning over 160 games. Let's hope the straight up trend continues for the playoffs.

SATURDAY 
Kansas City at Indianapolis 3:35 pm NBC - Is it weird I think this could be the best non-Packer game of the weekend?  I am introducing a new Sportandfashion-news theory for this game called the 'Arizona Theory.'  It is based off Arizona Cardinals 2009 team that got crushed by Green Bay Packers in the final game of the season only to beat the same team in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Kansas City suffered an embarrassing home defeat to Indianapolis 23-7 earlier this month, but remember, Chiefs had locked up the fifth seed and they knew there was a chance they could be seeing Indianapolis in this round of the playoffs. This means they could be showing all sorts of shit Indianapolis did not see the first time around.

Andy Reid has not been to the playoffs since 2010, and he did not win a playoff game since 2008. Same goes for Kansas City with their team not having a playoff win since 1994. But this game will come down to which star shines the brightest... Jamaal Charles or Andrew Luck. Indianapolis boasts one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL meaning Charles could have a huge game on the fast track at Lucas Oil. Last three games are not really indicative of what the Colts have done against ground. Tennessee's second game they rushed for 162 as a team, Cincinnati rushed for 155 yards and Arizona rushed for 120. Charles might be the difference maker.

But that's not to say Luck could not have the same day with the Colts. Kansas City's secondary have become their biggest problem of their comeback season. While the Chiefs have not faced a ton of great quarterbacks this season, but when they have, results are not the greatest. Luck seemed to move the ball better in the last couple of games without forcing the ball as he only has one interception in the last four games

Indianapolis seems to beat giants this season. They always seem to play up to their opponent. Alex Smith on the road and winning seems to mix like oil and water. Indy in a close one. Indianapolis 34 Kansas City 29 

New Orleans at Philadelphia 7:10 pm NBC - These are two of my favorite teams to watch this season so this game should be a delight to watch. I really would be surprised if we see a blowout even though the odds might be against New Orleans. I really think this is a game where I would be nervous as an Eagles fan.

Many people have already pushed the narrative about Saints not being a good road team as well as how much dome teams suffer in cold weather playoff teams. It almost reminds me a bit of Atlanta in 2002 with Green Bay. A little different elements, but no one gave Atlanta a chance, no one. I feel like some of that is happening with New Orleans. Drew Brees will be able to move the ball against this defense, but they will need to run the ball to create some balance. Saints have a big problem not involving their run game more, and that needs to happen on Saturday night.

Philadelphia is the bandwagon team of the playoffs. They are a fun offense with likable players such as Nick Foles, DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy. People go head over heels to tell you how great Chip Kelly has been this season. This might have to be a Shady game for Philadelphia because New Orleans ranks second in pass defense. They really have not allowed many gaudy numbers against the pass. They do not force many turnovers, but it seems like New Orleans does not give up the big play as much as other teams taking away one of Philadelphia's big parts of their offense.

This is a game that applies to the logic 'Until you can do it, I don't believe you can do it.' I cannot take New Orleans on the road in a big game until they prove they can win one of these games. I BELIEVE YOU NARRATIVES. Philadelphia 27 New Orleans 21

SUNDAY
San Diego at Cincinnati 12:05 pm CBS - There are two people I have came around to liking in 2013, Jason Dufner and Phillip Rivers.  There are more people out there whom I have come to like, but in sports, Duf and Rivers are guys I choose to like versus disliking. Rivers being a crybaby is somewhat annoying, but the guy is just so quirky, it works perfectly for me. He is an oddball unlike some of the other robotic-like quarterbacks I have to respect it.

Rivers will be up against it on Sunday with Cincinnati having one of the best pass defenses in the NFL. They also force turnovers which is a problem for Rivers at times. San Diego quarterback will need to be in control if they want to win the game, and see if their rushing attack can at least give them something because they will need to keep their defense off the field as much as possible.

Andy Dalton is sixth in the NFL at passing the football. That is incredible because I do not consider him that good in any sort of scenario.  But one thing the Red Rocket does well is take advantage of bad pass defenses this year except for San Diego. Dalton really struggled on the road this season facing the Chargers in a game I think many people forgot about. Just a mirage or something to keep an eye on? Like Rivers, Dalton needs to limit his turnovers as much as possible.

This is the third straight playoff appearence for Cincinnati, their fourth in five years. They still have not won a playoff game since 1990. I think that changes with a spirited performances at one of the toughest places to play this season. CIN 24-21

San Francisco at Green Bay 3:35 pm FOX - I made a pick as well as a full breakdown of this game earlier today. Check it out. 

Charlie.

2013: A Sucky Wisconsin Sports Year

The year 2013 was a pretty good year personally but sports-wise, it was pretty rough. Granted, this is all sort of relative as the Badgers and Packers saw a pretty good deal of success for the season but ultimately fell short of their 2013 goals. The "WINsconsin" moniker had officially lost its luster and hopefully should be on a hiatus for the time being.

It all started on January 1, 2013 as the Badgers lost 20-14 to the Stanford Cardinal in the Rose Bowl. This marked the third straight Rose Bowl defeat for Bucky and they've all were pretty crushing defeats. This, of course, came after Bret Bielema abruptly departed for the apparently greener SEC pastures of Arkansas about a month before that last Rose Bowl. The Badgers were left looking for a head coach for the Rose Bowl. Former head coach and current Wisconsin athletic director, Barry Alvarez, took the reigns for just the Rose Bowl game. While it was a cute story, the game obviously didn't go as Barry or the rest of Badger Nation had planned.

The Badgers went 8-6 on the year but the Rose Bowl loss and the sudden departure of Bielema left a really sour taste in the mouths of Badger fans. Bielema's 2013 at Arkansas would end up being an even bigger disaster, especially after his wife tweeted "#karma" after the Badgers got screwed by the refs at the end of the Arizona State game. Ironically, the Razorbacks didn't win a game for the rest of the season after that tweet. I guess she got what she asked for.

Then, later in January, the Green Bay Packers were doing their usual thing and cruising right along until they met Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs. That day, the defense absolutely fell apart, letting Kaepernick run and pass all over them to the tune of 444 total yards and four touchdowns en route to a somewhat embarrassing 45-31 loss.

Many fans thought the Packers would cut ties with defensive coordinator Dom Capers but he's still hanging on by a thread.

Fast forward to April as the Brewers began got their season-to-forget underway. 2013 was a disaster essentially from start to finish for Milwaukee and it all really culminated in the suspension of star OF Ryan Braun for alleged performance enhancing drug use. The witch hunt for Braun boiled over in July and he was suspended for the rest of season. This was most likely a deal worked out between MLB and Braun's camp so that he could come back immediately in 2014 in hopes of moving on. You knew that Bud Selig, a Milwaukee native, would not be denied in his thirst for suspending Braun after he let a suspension slip through his fingers at the beginning of the 2012 season.

The Brewers as a team finished with a 74-88 record in 2013. There really wasn't a whole lot to hang their hats on either. However, we saw a true breakout year from CF Carlos Gomez who hit .284 with 24 home runs and took home a National League gold glove. Also, Brewers fans got their first taste of Scooter Gennett, who hit .324 in 69 games with the Brewers last year.

While Green Bay may have made the playoffs in 2013, they spent half of their season feeling like the Jacksonville Jaguars of the world as Aaron Rodgers missed seven games with injuries. People talked about  hair-brained conspiracies about why Rodgers was practicing yet not playing plus Packers fans having to watch the likes of Seneca Wallace, Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien. Just when you think Green Bay's fanbase could get some perspective about how lucky and fortunate they are to have two rock solid quarterbacks, they somehow snake into the playoffs and fans still live the privileged lifestyle.

Finally, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks season was probably considered a great success internally as they achieved their coveted goal of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Now, to most fans with a brain, this season was anything but a success. The embarrassment of getting destroyed in four straight games against the Miami Heat after backing hard into the playoffs at the end of the season was truly rock bottom of the mediocrity treadmill, that the Bucks have been stuck in. Gone are the medicrity $wag twins (Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis) and the Bucks are moving in another direction and are hopefully getting off the treadmill.

Hopefully, 2014 ends up working out better for the major sports teams in the state of Wisconsin. It's off to a similar start with the Badgers dropping their New Year's Day bowl game yesterday once again. I'll wait to jump to conclusions though as there are still 363 for the rest of the teams to pick up the slack.

-Big Money

Lambeau's Ticket Problem.

Death. Taxes. Lambeau Field Sellouts. That's how my life has been since I can remember. I still can hear my mom saying 'I always regret not getting Milwaukee tickets in the 80's with your uncle.' I believe she has probably utter that sentence at least once a year. It is usually pretty hard to get Packer tickets and until 2010, I had not been to a game since 2005. Opportunities do not come very often to make a trip to hallow grounds of Lambeau Field. Thankfully in the past couple of years, I have been to Lambeau Field five times in the last three years.

Very happy to be there. Seth angry at the camera
Still think this foiled Mitch's plan to kill me. 

For the last three Decembers, it has become an annual tradition to go see a game at Lambeau Field. We started it three years ago when a group of about 10 of us got tickets to the game and planned to spend a night in DePere creating havoc at St. Norbert's adult establishments. It is something that has become tradition among a group of friends. We had our recent trip in late December as Green Bay took on Pittsburgh. I hope this something we continue for years to come. The other two times I lucked into going last second with family and friends without having to pay which is something I am very thankful and do not take for granted for one second.

The reason I do not overlook that last point is it costs anywhere from 75 to 300 dollars for tickets to see Green Bay play football at Lambeau Field. Tickets are not cheap so when I heard Packers were having trouble selling out their stadium for seemingly the first time ever in my 25-year old life. I thought of a variety of reasons why, it is going to be arctic temperatures plus the home experience equals the worst combination ever, the exhaustion of the season, pessimism from fans and why this could become a badge of honor type game to be at like the Ice Bowl and 2008 NFC Championship Game. And for the final reason, you should go if you have the means and if you have not made it up/down this season to Lambeau.

NFL does have a going problem with HD televisions, prices of tickets, beer, food and parking as well as the experience with social media, fantasy football (Regular season) and gambling. There might need to be a discussion whether they should think about axing the blackout rule. Federal Communications Commission gave some thoughts about this, and honestly, it is not the end of the world if NFL stadiums do not have full stands. If the FCC and NFL come to a deal where 75 percent of tickets have to be sold to avoid blackouts, that's a fair compromise, or keep the blackout rule but create dynamic ticket pricing figuring in weather, opponent, etc. Would people be heading to Lambeau this weekend if the most expensive tickets were 120 dollars versus 300 apiece? I think so.

The temperatures obviously do not help things either. They are not getting any warmer as it went from being around eight degrees around kickoff at the start of the weak to a high of -5 with wind chills of -30 and if this holds, it would be the third coldest game in NFL history. People could chose their own beer, own couch and warm house/bar to watch the game versus being in the elements looking like Ralphie's brother in the Christmas Story.

The second and third one go hand-in-hand a bit. This season has not been for the weak of heart. Many games have came down to the wire. Green Bay has been blown out in more games than usual. I expressed some thoughts of exhaustion after watching them lose in person to Pittsburgh. Granted this was an overreaction, I said after the game to friends, 'Hell, I hope Chicago just wins tonight, put me out of my misery.' Obviously, this is an overreaction and something I am glad they did not do because we would not be having this conversation. But they are facing a team that has 12 wins on the year, a team Green Bay has not beat the last three times they have played in last two years, the defending NFC champions meaning many people in the state of Wisconsin do not think Green Bay will win this game.

Packers fans can be very pessimistic in nature. They are also a bit privileged in terms of seeing successful teams and not really seeing much losing at home. In the last decade, they have lost five of their seven home playoff games. Let me tell you after freezing your ass off, the last thing you want to see is a defeat. This is arguably the best playoff team to come to Lambeau in the last 10 years even if New York Giants teams won the Super Bowl. Without question, there are many people who believe Green Bay is losing this football game meaning they do not want to be there on Sunday for the game (I do not but we will talk about it tomorrow).

If I did not spend more than 100 dollars to see Green Bay play a couple weeks ago along with spending all sorts of money on a four-day venture with New Year's Day, I would be putting out feelers to go to the game. I had two friends offer me tickets to the game which is unheard of to me, but honestly, I cannot afford right now being a part-time worker whom had his biggest spending month of the year. So here's my suggestion: If you have not gone this year, go to the game and spend the money. If you have never gone, this is your perfect chance to see Green Bay play in a playoff game. Load up on layers and alcohol if you have a driver, but go see the home team play because it will become a badge of honor no matter what happens in the game.

People always get to talk about being at the Ice Bowl, and there are many people who lie about being at the Ice Bowl. The same would have happened if Green Bay wins the 2008 NFC Championship and Brett Favre goes on to win the Super Bowl. It would be the same sort of attitude with this generation. Who knows what will happen this year, and trust me if Green Bay wins in some dramatic fashion, many people will act like the were at Lambeau on Sunday. 3,000 tickets are needed to be sold before tomorrow's game. I would be stunned if the game is blacked out in the area, but it would be a mass media/fans freakout. Remember about how chances to go to games do not happen often and who knows when this door is open again.

Charlie.