Preseason Lowdown : Green Bay Packers (!)

preseason, football, teams, packers

What’s the story? 

Welcome to the post I’ve been waiting to write all offseason long. You are all well-aware by now where my allegiance lies, and that I’m completely and unashamedly biased, so let’s dive into this Packers post with an over-the-top level of enthusiasm from this side of the computer screen.

The Packers have established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC North, but their prominence as the team to beat in the NFC period is dwindling. With the emergence of the 49ers, the Seahawks, and the Redskins, and the consistent trouble presented by perennial favorites like the Giants, the Packers aren’t the threat they once were to dominate the conference. The story this season? Can the Packers keep the best player in the NFL on his feet with consistent offensive line play; can they establish an effective running game; can the defense return to it’s dominant days of old? Basically: can the Packers be the team that won the Super Bowl in 2010 and return to being the best team in the NFC?

Leader and commander:

Mike McCarthy, whose blue collar mentality fits Green Bay like a glove. My love for this man knows no bounds, so we’re not even going to tread into anything that looks like a critical analysis. (Really.)

New kid on the block:

The kids in the backfield! The Packers have running backs!!! It was enough to have DuJuan Harris break out in an unexpected season last year, but drafting stand-out running backs Eddie Lacy (!!!) and Johnathan Franklin (!!!) sweetens the deal that much more. The Packers may actually have an equal division of labor on offense this year. As much as we all love to see Aaron throw the ball, knowing that the Packers can potentially get it done on the ground as well as through the air will do a lot for their game when the colder weather comes (which, in Green Bay, is anytime after September).

Last year was…

…eye-opening. The Packers defense could not stop the Niners offense, and that flaw bookended the Packers 2012 season with gut-wrenching losses. As fate would have it, 2013 will present an opportunity for redemption right from the get-go: the Packers will open the season against the 49ers in San Francisco…again. (Thanks for that, NFL.)

Survey says:

In my opinion, the Packers 2013 potential hangs on three factors: 1. The effectiveness of the offensive line. (Having the best player in the league and a new crop of talent at running back doesn’t carry nearly as much of an impact if the offensive line is weak. This is my biggest concern for 2013.) 2. The ability of the defense to adapt to new offensive schemes. (I’ll let the Niners tape speak for itself on this one.) 3. If anyone on the Packers roster can make a field goal from further than 30 yards. (The kicking situation is looking a little bleak, to put it nicely.) And yet, the biggest factor, the one that overrides all the rest, is Aaron Rodgers. He makes the all the difference, and is the biggest reason why the Packers are currently ranked 5th overall.

Preseason Lowdown : Detroit Lions

football, preseason, teams, lions

What’s the story? 

Remember when the Detroit Lions went 0-16 in 2008? And then made it to the playoffs with a 10-6 record in 2011? And then lost multiple games in the final minutes of their 4-12 season last year? The Lions don’t seem to know who they are. Are they the 2008 team who couldn’t win a game or the 2011 team who made it to the playoffs or the 2012 team who stumbled through a mediocre season? It’s hard to tell, honestly, since they clearly have the capacity to be each. And hard to know why they can’t consistently be that 2011 team who made it to the playoffs, since they have such a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball.

Leader and commander:

Jim Schwartz. Fun fact of the day: Schwartz’s first job in the NFL was doing research for none other than the Hoodie, Bill Belichick, when he was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns. Schwartz has been the Lions head coach since 2009.

New kid on the block:

Reggie Bush, who the Lions picked up in free agency from Miami and are hoping will make the biggest impact at running back since the Barry Sanders days.

Last year was…

…confusing. What is a team who made it to the playoffs the year prior doing hanging out in the bottom of the pack? From the outside looking in, it seems like a maturity and discipline problem, not a level of talent problem. With Calvin Johnson on one side and Ndamukong Suh on the other and a whole bunch of good pieces to the puzzle in between…it just doesn’t make sense.

Survey says:

If the Lions preseason is indicative of their regular season, it’ll be another 4th place finish for Detroit. They won their first game (against the Jets…so, take that as you will) and got manhandled in their second game (against the Browns…so, take that as you will). But thankfully for Lions fans, preseason games rarely reflect anything worthwhile as it pertains to regular season success. They might be ranked lowest in the NFC North right now at 24th overall, but you never can tell how the bipolar Lions are going to perform once the season starts.

Preseason Lowdown : Chicago Bears

football, preseason, teams, bears

What’s the story? 

All good things must come to an end. That was the case in Chicago this past offseason, with the release of winning head coach Lovie Smith and beloved linebacker Brian Urlacher, who played his entire 13-year career with the Bears. With lots of significant changes to account for, this season may be more of a learning curve than it is a shot straight to the top of the NFC North.

Leader and commander:

New head coach Marc Trestman spent the past four years as a very successful head coach in the Canadian Football League. And even though he hasn’t coached in the NFL for nearly a decade, he was a coach with eight different NFL teams over the course of 17 years. It’ll be interesting to see how all of that experience in both the NFL and CFL works itself into his first NFL head coaching job.

New kid on the block:

First round pick Kyle Long, who has a long history of NFL in his blood. His father, Howie Long, is a Hall of Fame defensive end who spent his entire career with the Raiders. His older brother Chris is a defensive end for the Rams. Kyle decided to go on the other side of the line. He’s an offensive guard, and the Bears are hoping that he’ll have the same type of illustrious career as the rest of his family has had. They need all of the help they can get along the offensive line.

Last year was…

…worse than it seemed. 10-6 is a good enough record to compete for first in most divisions. But in the NFC North, it was only good enough for third, and resulted in Lovie Smith’s firing.

Survey says:

There is reason for optimism in Chicago despite the sweeping changes. They are currently ranked 13th, which makes them second in the rankings of NFC North teams (behind the Packers and in front of the Vikings and Lions). Another 10-6 season under a new head coach with a new system might be a stretch for the Bears, but it also might be good enough for second in the NFC North and a potential wildcard spot in the playoffs.

Preseason Lowdown : Washington Redskins

football, preseason, teams, redskins

What’s the story? 

There are lots of memories I wish I could erase from the NFL portion of my brain. It’d be nice to forget a few of those Brett Favre interceptions that cost us playoffs wins. I’d rather not think and/or talk about either of the Packers encounters with the 49ers last year. And even though I live in New York, I don’t want to discuss the New York Football Giants, who have had the Packers number for years. But right alongside of all those things is the visual of RGIII’s knee swinging around independent from the rest of his leg – not once, but twice. Every time I think about it my stomach flips around independent from the rest of my body. By all accounts, the electric QB is making a quick recovery from his second major knee surgery and will be wearing a brace all season to prevent possible setbacks. But the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not he can keep this up. Can he keep playing the way he plays and be a long-term franchise quarterback in the NFL? Let’s hope so, because he’s a lot of fun to watch.

Leader and commander:

Mike Shanahan, who is taking some heat from the aforementioned QB in what is really a non-controversy controversy. RGIII is a competitor. He wants to play as soon as possible. Mike Shanahan is a head coach. He wants his quarterback healthy as long as possible. That means no action in the preseason for Griffin, who has made his displeasure known. But once the regular season starts? Water under the bridge. This is a non-story, in my opinion.

New kid on the block:

That would be “kids” plural. Even without a first round pick (traded it to the Rams last year to pick RGIII second overall), they had a great draft, and a lot of those rookies could see significant playing time this season.

Last year was…

…way better than expected. The Redskins overcame a 3-6 start and won all 7 of their games after the bye week, leading them to their first NFC East title since 1999.

Survey says:

Watch out, NFC East. There’s a new powerhouse in town. The Redskins are ranked higher than any other NFC East team (11th, right in front of the Giants, who are ranked 12th), and for good reason. They have an experience head coach, a hungry starting QB, an excellent backup QB (Kirk Cousins) in the case RGIII has continued knee trouble, and a very talented backfield. They are the team to beat in this division.

Preseason Lowdown : Philadelphia Eagles

football, preseason, teams, eagles

What’s the story? 

The Eagles are hoping to take a cue from the Fast and Furious movies: they’ll be running a very quick offense and doing it with all kinds of hyped-up passion. However, they are probably hoping that each season is more successful than the last, unlike each of the never-ending Fast and Furious sequels. (Seriously. How many are we even up to now?)

Leader and commander:

Chip Kelly, successful long-time college coach at Oregon, in his first NFL head coaching job (which is also his first NFL job, period). He is taking over a team that is just emerging from a different era under a similarly successful long-time coach, Andy Reid. Kelly’s style is markedly different from Reid’s, in that watching Kelly’s offense is like watching a regular NFL game on fast forward. He is best known for his fast-paced, big-risk, highly-unconventional offense…and I can’t wait to see how that translates to an NFL field with NFL talent. As T.O. would say, get your popcorn ready.

New kid on the block:

That would be the aforementioned Chip Kelly. But they also picked up two notable players in the draft: QB Matt Barkley, who could potentially be their quarterback of the future (but probably not of this season, unless something goes haywire with Vick and Foles) and TE Zack Ertz, who could have an opportunity to be a big part of the offense right from the get-go.

Last year was…

…unbelievable in all the worst ways. After winning 3 of their first 4 games, the Eagles went on to lose 11 of their next 12. It was rough.

Survey says:

Good things come to those who wait, and this might be a season of waiting for the Eagles. It could take time to adjust to an unheard-of style of NFL play under the tutelage of a first-time NFL head coach. Philly is currently ranked 25th in the preseason power rankings for that reason. But one can hope that this new era is given time to play out because man…it could be something really special.

Preseason Lowdown : New York Giants

football, preseason, teams, new york

What’s the story? 

The Giants know how to win. They’ve proven that. But they also rely on last-minute victories and squeezing into the playoffs. They’ve proven that, too. In the past four seasons they’ve won one Super Bowl and missed the playoffs three times. A bit of an inconsistent showing for the G-men, who are always good, but not always great. The Giants will be hoping to swing on the other end of the trend this season after missing the playoffs last year.

Leader and commander:

Tom Coughlin, who is now a published author. I can’t wait to read his book (and then spend the rest of my life arriving to places on Coughlin Time).

New kid on the block:

Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (former Packer!) was brought in as a free agent from Philadelphia to replace Chris Canty, and he’s already making his presence known. He had a great start in the Giants first preseason game against his former team, the Eagles.

Last year was…

…an upset for the Giants, who missed the playoffs in a surprising coup by the Redskins. They learned that they can’t always rely on the patented Eli 4th quarter comeback and lost 5 of their last 8 games.

Survey says:

The Giants didn’t win their division in either of their past two Super Bowl winning seasons. They are rarely the clear-cut contenders to win it all – just look at those past two Super Bowl wins against the Patriots! It works because they are a well-coached team and a solid franchise, and that means they always have a chance. But it’ll take more than a good foundation and a few stunning last-minute wins to make it to the playoffs this season in a highly competitive division and conference.