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

Sportandfashion-news Packers Classroom: Pittsburgh v. Green Bay

We give grades to the different aspects of the Packers game from Sunday or Monday.  Am I too critical sometimes? Yes.  Am I also too nice sometimes? Yes.  I do not have a teaching degree in case you were wondering. 

A-Game
Eddie Lacy- Despite his injury, a good day to be Eddie Lacy. I feel like he has made his case to be Offensive Rookie of the Year. I realize Keenan Allen had a great year, but Lacy deserves it for essentially being a big part of keeping Green Bay in the division title hunt. Lacy's jump into the end zone was one of the coolest things I saw live at Lambeau Field. It happened right by our seats and it sent the Packers fanbase into excitement. (h/t @gifdsports) 

Andy Mulumba - Am I alone here in thinking the rookie played really well when Matthews went out with injury? Le'Von Bell did have a big day, but it seemed like most of it came in the first three quarters of the game. Mulumba gave some great effort out there having six tackles with four of them being solo. We see it all the time with rookies where they round into form as the season finishes up. I think Mulumba will obviously not be Clay Matthews, but he can definitely contribute for them in the following year.

Micah Hyde - I thought this was Micah's best game of the season overall. He became a game-changer on special teams with a big kick return at least giving Green Bay a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, and then on defense, he played really well. There were not many major plays through the air, and Hyde played a large part of that. Hopefully, his shoulder injury he suffered at the end of the game is not serious, and he can play against Chicago next week.

B-Game
James Jones - One of Jones' best games of the year. He really seems to come and go with major games for Green Bay (That's not a bad thing for Jones, it is more so Green Bay's system rather than Jones being inconsistent.) Matt Flynn looked the most comfortable when throwing the ball to Jones, and I do not blame him for it with some of the incredible catches Jones made on Sunday. I would expect him to take over more of the number one role on Sunday if Flynn remains at quarterback.

A.J Hawk - As we sat at Lambeau with Green Bay trailing 10 points and the crowd deader than roadkill, my buddy Seth goes 'We need something to get the fans back in.' Sure enough, Hawk makes a big balls interception of Ben Roethlisberger leading to Green Bay getting a field goal. The middle linebacker for the Packers overall has had an above average season, but one of the bigger things with Hawk is the increase in impact plays for this Packers defense.

Jarrett Boykin - Another good game for Boykin including a fantastic catch for a touchdown where I yelled he 'facialed' Cortez Allen which was probably inappropriate for Lambeau's crowd. With Jones' contract up, I have no idea how he will remain on the team with wanting more money plus the emergence of Boykin. I doubt they will keep both players. Boykin has been one of the best surprises of this bizarre Green Bay season.

C-Game
Matt Flynn - Man, he did some nice things in this game, but holy hell did he do some bad things in this game. Let's start with throwing the hitch route... Hey Matt, STOP THROWING THE GODDAMN HITCH. He does not have the arm strength for it, and they kept begging for a pick-six which sure did happened changing the landscape of this game. Flynn also had a back-breaker fumble when he needed to escape the pocket and you wonder if he would have got the first down if he slid down. I have no idea because I am a slave to technology and could not see it from my vantage point at Lambeau.

Mike McCarthy's playcalls - Most notably the hitch route, but I had no idea at times what McCarthy was thinking out there. He seems to forget Eddie Lacy and James Starks can definitely hammer it into the end zone. When Aaron Rodgers was still at quarterback, I wondered if McCarthy would overthink about play calls trying to decide whether Rodgers or Lacy deserved the ball.  The fact Green Bay only had two plays with a minute left to go in the game is pathetic. Mac deserves some of the blame, but also the quarterback is at fault.

D-Game
Clay Matthews - This is not really for the game, but more for Matthews' season as he fractures his thumb again knocking him out for the year. It was a disappointing year for Matthews whom started off so strong only to come up with multiple injuries. It will be interesting to see what the narrative will be about Clay in the following off-season. People will start saying he is injury-prone because people are goddamn idiots. Breaks are so much different than strains, sprains and tears.

F-Game
Nick Perry - Man oh man. Perry jumped offsides on a field goal attempt at the end of the game. It led to the game being 38-31 instead of 34-31 (Let's be realistic) and costing Green Bay their final timeout. I could not believe a second-year player like Perry would make such a rookie mistake. It was the story of the game with Green Bay's special teams though. Granted, they had some nice kick returns, but from the fake punt to Perry's offsides just a disaster for defensive special teams.

B.J. Raji - This is a guy currently on my shit list. If I were Santa Claus, Raji is getting coal in his stocking. He is a man whom we see on this football team as a leader and he did not look like one on Sunday with a horrific personal foul call after the play against Pittsburgh. Instead of the Steelers being third and six from Green Bay's 39, Pittsburgh got the ball from the 24 and got a score out of it. Completely dumb and something Raji hopefully will never do again.

NFC North - I am going to write more about this tomorrow, but I really have no idea how Green Bay has a chance at this division yet I do not know if I want the title. I will take it, fine, but this has been a real frustrating season. I do not want it to end, but I feel like a boxer in the 12th round where I have been beat to hell yet there is still a chance for the belt even if I do not know if I can take it anymore.

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Packers Preview: Pittsburgh v. Green Bay

When Green Bay beat Dallas, I was obviously excited for the win. Who would not be at that point? But the fact I would make a trip to Lambeau Field the following week with some great people and the potential chance Aaron Rodgers might be suited up coming out of the tunnel to a raucous Lambeau Field crowd made me even more excited for the opportunity to be there. The national media believed Rodgers would be back to begin the week yet the story became the same by the end of the week meaning Matt Flynn is starting for another week. I am perfectly okay watching Matt Flynn on Sunday even if I never thought I would go to a game and not see Rodgers under center.  

A couple weeks ago, ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde speculated whether Rodgers' injury was more like Charles Woodson's collarbone which took 10 to 14 weeks to recover and the Packers are being more coy with Rodgers injury to throw off the scent of the opponent.  Or the doctors believe injury will be almost a guarantee if he falls on it again. If Rodgers gets hurt again and there is doubt he might not be ready to start the 2014 NFL season. It is not the Packers quarterback's decision to make honestly, it is a joint discussion that stars with the doctors and how Rodgers feels is the last opinion this organization listens to honestly no matter how much power we perceive #12 has in Green Bay. 

While Dr. Pat McKenzie is catching a ton of heat right now, imagine what his life would be like if Rodgers got hurt again this season? It would be the same shit just a different narrative with this fanbase. Drew Magary of Deadspin compared Packers' fans to St. Louis Cardinals fans and I cannot make a defense for this one. We as a fanbase as just as bad right now. People are acting like a bunch of doctors with professional degrees when the only thing they do is watch the game from their couches. It is time to let things play out and just watch the games to finish the year. 

As for the game, Green Bay needs to start out strong. In the last two games, Green Bay had a dominating first drive against Atlanta then had two critical turnovers leading to the Falcons taking the lead at halftime plus Green Bay's offense stalled after their 19-play drive. We all know about what happened against Dallas in the first half of that game. With the wind being projected to be blowing around 20 miles per hour, I expect Packers to defer yet I would love to see them get the ball first to have an establishing drive with Eddie Lacy. He figures to have a big day against the Steelers defense plus with the terrible weather conditions, it is day for Lacy to go hog wild against an average opponent. 

Looking at Pittsburgh stats for their defense, they are near the bottom third when it comes to stopping the rush and they are actually a top ten team in stopping the pass in terms of yardage. Although they only have eight interceptions and 22 sacks for the season which are both near the complete bottom of the barrel for defensive statistics. One of the biggest problems with the Flynn-era Packers have been turnovers, and it does not seem like Pittsburgh is one of those teams who can force Flynn into his one bad pass that he has been known for in the last month. 

The two worries from Pittsburgh besides Big Ben is Le'Von Bell and Antonio Brown. If this team were a playoff team, they would be called the Killer B's without question. Brown is one of two receivers with at least five catches in every game this season. Sam Shields will have his hands full with Brown as well as Tramon Williams. He does a lot of quick routes meaning I would not be surprised to see them go to more of a bump-and-run style playing up because Shields is one of the few corners that Brown cannot burn deep. Bell like Lacy should get a lot of carries in this one. Dallas and Atlanta mashed through this defense on the ground and now with Green Bay missing Johnny Jolly, the expectation would be for Bell to have a massive day on Sunday. 

The prediction is needed and I believe Flynn can do it again playing Pittsburgh. Since their 0-4 start, Pittsburgh has been 6-4 playing much better football. Steelers could be out of the playoffs by the time of this game which could take the wind of their sail a bit. I made mention of this last week, but Green Bay knows how to win without Rodgers. They know how to comeback from 20 points without Rodgers. Does this not feel like the culmination of this team coming together and dominating a football game? I think the Packers win this football game, and it will a truly impressive win that will have many people talking on Monday. 

Green Bay 31 Pittsburgh 23

Charlie. 

Sportandfashion-news Packers Classroom: Green Bay v. Dallas

We give grades to the different aspects of the Packers game from Sunday or Monday.  Am I too critical sometimes? Yes.  Am I also too nice sometimes? Yes.  I do not have a teaching degree in case you were wondering. 

Honestly, I thought about writing a full blog about this game and not doing my duty with the classroom. But I do want to write it out while talking about the game itself in the way I know how to do it.  I am completely stunned still this morning to see Green Bay win this game and be right in the mix with the playoff hunt. It is incredible. 

A-Game
Matt Flynn - When the first half ended, I called for Matt Flynn's head. I wanted to see Scott Tolzien because I really thought Flynn had ran out of gas. Mike McCarthy went with Flynn again, and Flynn helped lead them back with a big pass to Jordy Nelson to put Green Bay down 26-10. Flynn continued with a massive second half leading Green Bay down the field with four touchdowns and no mistakes. Green Bay could have quit on this game and it would have probably started with Flynn. He did not let it happen on Sunday. The leadership Flynn displayed on Sunday was amazing. No matter what happens this season, Flynn deserves major credit for leading this team back in three games to keep this Green Bay's head above water.

Eddie Lacy - Given the situation, the best game of the season for Lacy. He rushed for 142 yards and went over 1,000 yards become the first Packer rusher over that number since 2009 with Ryan Grant. Lacy helped create confusion with this Cowboys defense. He also had a big 60 yard run to open the second half providing sort of hope leading in the second half. But he also averaged 6.7 yards a carry. Lacy seems to be rounding into form, and is making his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year. It is dangerously close with Keenan Allen and Lacy.

Sam Shields - SAMMMMMMY. I do not know when it happened, but Sam Shields became one of my favorite players. I think it was during the Super Bowl run when Shields kept making big plays in the playoffs. Shields came up big again late in this game with a major defense of a vertical route of Dez Bryant where if Tony Romo throws it on the money it is probably a touchdown, but instead, Shields caught up to the pass and broke it up. Then once again, Romo underthrew a ball leading to Shields making the game changing interception. I loved he threw the ball in the stands after the pick and did not get a penalty for it (Don't pull that shit again, Sam).

B-Game
Tramon Williams - In a weird way, Tramon and the TV show Homeland are the same. The reason I make this comparison is Homeland was put on such a pedestal after the first season and Williams the same after the Super Bowl season. People put high expectations for both things, and they have been let down at different parts of the last two years. Homeland put on a bow on Season 3 and people still hate it saying they are done with the show. Williams is not having the same sort of criticism making the clinching interception to win the football game. In the last month or so, Williams has improved his game greatly.

Jarrett Boykin - We have talked about Boykin a couple times this year, but it needs to be stated again, he deserves to be a major factor on this team next season. He made a couple big catches on Sunday including a great back shoulder catch leading the Packers down for their final drive of the game. If the Packers get into the playoffs and Randall Cobb is able to return, think about this Packers receiving core. They become damn near unstoppable.

Andrew Quarless - Another big game for him. He was a player I wanted to watch on Sunday to see if he could carry over last week's game to this one against Dallas. Quarless did the same thing having six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Do I think Quarless' elevated play means Green Bay should ignore the tight end position in the draft? No I do not actually. But I really cannot see why they would draft Jace Amaro or Eric Ebron in the first round despite my undying love for both players. Quarless is looking more and more like the player everyone talked about when he came out of Penn State.

David Bakhtiari - What a  game from him. I know DeMarcus Ware is battling through injuries, but this is another premier pass rush that Bakhtiari has made completely nonexistent. He will never win it given the play of Lacy and Allen and others yet Bakhtiari deserves some Rookie of the Year votes. The stuff he is doing to protect the blind side is something I do not think many people are giving him credit for this season. If Green Bay were to make a run here, Bakhtiari could be a difference maker keeping Flynn and Aaron Rodgers upright.

C-Game
Clay Matthews - He came up big when Dom Capers started moving him around in the second half, but I am starting to wonder a bit about Clay. It does not seem like he is having the same sort of impact as he once was with this football team. Who is to blame for that? Probably Nick Perry and not having a pass rush from the defensive line even if it is not their responsibility to rush the passer. I will say it seemed like Matthews' rush was stronger when Mike Neal is out there. Maybe that's just me guessing things right now, but it does seem like Matthews' play becomes more clearer when Neal is out there.

D-Game
Green Bay's defensive line - This was a true example of why this team misses C.J. Wilson more than I think anyone realizes right now. DeMarco Murray gashed this defensive line and linebackers and it would have been the lead story if Dallas won this football including Murray who should have had over 200 yards right now. This defensive line needs to start figuring out how to get off blocks much better. Or make sure the holes are big enough for the linebackers to fill the spot. It could be the latter right now, but until we figure out whose to blame, I will start with the defensive line.

F-Game
Brad Jones - Another real bad effort from Jones. This is his second straight game where he has struggled mightily. I think it is time to see more Jamari Lattimore out there at middle linebacker. As I said last week, Jones seems to be a liability and he is in fact a liability. I have no idea if Jones is hurt or what, but he looks like he should not be out there right now. I hope there is more of a mix with Jones and Lattimore.

Jason Garrett's playcalling - I really cannot believe how bad Garrett was on Sunday. I know he threw Tony Romo under the bus, but Garrett gives him the chance to do it. Dallas threw the ball nearly 50 times and only rushed the ball 18 times. That's pathetic. If I am Murray this morning, I am legitimately scorching the earth when I get to the facility. He should have received the rock like he was Adrian Peterson. Murray has become a top ten back in the NFL and only his coaching staff does not realize it.

MD Jennings - Remember when I said I was interested to see what Sean Richardson can do against Dallas? Remember when he barely saw any time and instead we watched MD 'Toast' Jennings play instead. The guy is the Marshall Newhouse of the defense. He could not cover his shadow. My buddy and Sportandfashion-news contributor put it best with Jennings.

For not liking to tackle MD Jennings picked an interesting career
— Seth (@SethKrueger) December 15, 2013

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Packers Preview: Green Bay v. Dallas

Once upon time, I hated Dallas. I could not stand the team. Growing up in the 90's, Dallas was the rival. Not Minnesota, Chicago or Detroit, but Dallas. They were Brett Favre's kryptonite as Packers fell in playoff losses to Dallas in Cowboys Stadium for three straight years. Additionally, Green Bay had some gut punch regular season losses in Texas where Favre went down with injury in 2007, Chris Boniol making seven field goals on Monday Night Football and the pinnacle of regular season losses against Dallas - Jason Garrett playing for Troy Aikman leading them in a Thanksgiving Day victory to put Green Bay at 6-6.

There are so many bad memories in Dallas, but in new Cowboys Stadium also known as JerryWorld, the memories are great. The last time Green Bay played at newly named AT&T Stadium, they were hoisting by the Lombardi Trophy by the end of it. This story of Green Bay's trip to Dallas will be much different and without Aaron Rodgers for the sixth straight game.

According to Mike McCarthy, Rodgers feels good and wants to play yet he is not medically cleared. In a weird way, Green Bay is treating this like Chicago did with Derrick Rose as well as other teams when their star player goes down with an injury. At this point, who know if he will be ready for Pittsburgh next week. But one thing has to end right now, it is the narrative that Rodgers is not tough. This is not a knee ligament injury. This is not a shoulder muscle injury. This is a goddamn broken bone. Not to mention, a bone that breaks easier after it has been broken once. Trust me, this is not a toughness issue, this is an issue of making 100 percent sure Rodgers will not get hurt again with the same injury.

As for the game itself, Matt Flynn is back in the saddle. He looked much better against Atlanta although people like Geno Smith and Mike Glennon have been good against Atlanta. Although Dallas' secondary and defense are not world-beaters as they have come under all sorts of criticism throughout the year. They were mashed by Chicago last week in a cold weather game where Josh McCown had the game of his life. McCarthy said Flynn had the best week of practice, and it could be coming at the right time as this Dallas team will be without Sean Lee, their best defensive player. This opens door for a big day from Flynn and Eddie Lacy.

The Packers running back battled an ankle injury this week, but he seems likely to go being probable. Lacy could have a huge day on Dallas' defense without Lee. In the four games Lee missed with injury, opponents rushed for 160.5 yards a game. If you take out Oakland's dismal 50 yard performance, New Orleans, New York and Chicago rushed for an average of 197.7.  If we were doing something like Wins Above Replacement in football, Lee like Rodgers is right at the top of the list. Cowboys defense is completely lost without him. If Lacy rushes for 113 yards, he will be the first 1,000 yard rusher Green Bay has had since Ryan Grant in 2009. Lacy will have those yards and then some. I feel like this will be a massive day with Lacy.

Couple things I will be interested to watch are Sean Richardson and Andrew Quarless' performances. Richardson had a solid game filling in for MD Jennings, but he did in a snowy, muddy field against a weak Atlanta wide receiving core. I will be interested to see how Richardson handles Dez Bryant, Terrence Williams and Jason Witten. Tony Romo could definitely have a big day against the Packers defense with all of the weapons he has out there.  He will definitely be tested and he definitely will make a couple mistakes. I just hope he is starting and not Jennings. Let's not be stubborn here just go Jim Calhoun admit you made a mistake and start Richardson.

As we talked about in the Classroom, Quarless had his best game as a Packer last week. I am always interested to see if these players can carry it over for another week. We already discussed the holes in Dallas' defense meaning there will be opportunity there for him to have another big day on the football field. Remember how much was made of Quarless as a player when he was drafted out of Penn State. He had some off-the-field stuff knocking down his draft grade, but he had all the talent in the world. As we have seen with countless athletes, maybe all it took was a little time with him.

For a game prediction, I hope everyone is ready for a four-hour football game. I have a feeling this will be a complete shootout meaning punters are probably optional. This also means whoever has the ball last will probably win the game. I am going with Green Bay. Dammit I would probably take Dallas, but I want to believe especially since I am heading to Lambeau next Sunday. Green Bay 42 Dallas 38  

Charlie.