Zero2Cool
14 years ago
http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100704/PKR01/100704029/Pieces-are-there-for-Packers-Super-Bowl-run-but-some-NFL-analysts-have-doubts 

Sports Illustrateds Peter King separated himself from the masses when he gave the Green Bay Packers his No. 1 overall ranking in his first NFL preview column on May 17. He also didnt hesitate to remind readers of the 2009 version of the same column when he picked Chicago to reach the Super Bowl and ranked New Orleans No. 24.

I stink at this, King wrote.

King excluded, early predictions have the Packers riding a potent offense to the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The organization has Super Bowl aspirations, but previews dont have the club advancing to the NFC championship.

The initial round of NFL magazines hit the stands in June, and Athlon Sports summed up the most common thought, The pieces are there or at least the Packers brass is convinced they are. Barring another rash of injuries, this team could contend for a berth in Super Bowl XLV.

A 51-45 loss to Arizona in the wild-card round of last seasons playoffs raised expectations in Green Bay, though summer predictions have the Packers finishing second in the NFC North behind the Minnesota Vikings for the second year in a row.

Most think if the offense, and specifically quarterback Aaron Rodgers, continues to throw points on the board in bunches, and the defense stays solid, and healthy, the Packers could find themselves inside Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6 for Super Bowl XLV. Every starter on a unit that ranked No. 3 in the NFL in scoring (28.8 points a game) returns a year after nine of the top 11 scoring teams made the playoffs.

Theres just not much faith, nationally, the Packers can go much further than last season although training camp doesnt begin until July 31.

Athlon Sports, Sporting News, Beckett and Lindys Sports each had the Packers as the No. 2 team in the NFC North. All but Beckett have them securing a wild-card berth. None of the four put the Packers in the NFC championship as Athlon Sports and Sporting News expect divisional-round losses.

Dallas was the popular NFC pick among the magazines with the Cowboys advancing to the Super Bowl in Lindys Sports and Sporting News. The Cowboys won a stacked NFC East in 2009 and broke a streak of 12 straight years without a playoff win. Athlon Sports put its proverbial money on the Vikings, and the arm of Brett Favre, coming out of the conference.

In the AFC, perennial favorites such as the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers were nowhere to be found. Lindys and Athlon backed the Baltimore Ravens while Sporting News selected the New York Jets.

The Ravens and Jets, clubs that recently have won with defense, have become trendy picks with offensive additions. Baltimores third-year quarterback Joe Flacco has proven targets in former Arizona Cardinals star Anquan Boldin and deep threat Donte Stallworth, who is coming off a year-long suspension after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter. The offense could catch up to a defense that gave up just 16.3 points a game in 2009 (No. 3 in the league).

The Jets gave second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez a few more toys with former Super Bowl MVP receiver Santonio Holmes and future Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Oh, and the Jets had the No. 1 defense in the league last year, allowing 14.8 points a game.

All three magazines picked the AFC representative to be crowned Super Bowl champion, regardless of the opponent.


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PackerTraxx
14 years ago
Until we show we can beat the Queens I can easily see no one picking us higher than 2 in the Division. I'm looking/hoping for us to do that. Detroit and Chicago should be improved this year also.
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Zero2Cool
14 years ago

Until we show we can beat the Queens I can easily see no one picking us higher than 2 in the Division. I'm looking/hoping for us to do that. Detroit and Chicago should be improved this year also.

"PackerTraxx" wrote:



Yep. After we beat the Vikings twice during the regular season, I'm fine with saying we're the creme of the NFC North.

However, I stand by my statement that we will be in and win the Super Bowl this season.
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Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago
We lost to the Vikings twice last year and still could conceivably have won the division. As far as I'm concerned, those two games are not the barometer of the season's success. There have been plenty of years in which the Packers swept the Vikings and didn't make it past the first round of the playoffs.
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zombieslayer
14 years ago
Well, is this a prediction thread?

Not winning the division is not a curse. Look at SB history. Most recently, the Giants in '07 were 3 games behind the Cows. They came back and knocked them off in the Playoffs and went on to win the SB.

It happened twice in the 00s. The Ravens were the 2nd place team, one game behind the Titans. In the Playoffs, the Ravens gave up 24 measly points in 4 games, including a 24-10 bitch slapping of the team that got 1st place in their division.

If Favre comes back, which I think is a 99% chance he does, we will probably come in 2nd place and split the series. But I sincerely think we have a better shot at winning the SB than the Vikings. Why? Because God hates the Vikings and He's shown it so many times in the past. They simply fold. It's the same story every few years.

If Favre doesn't come back, we sweep the Vikings, win the division, and have the same chance of winning the SB as if we were a Wild Card team. I really don't think it matters.

Whatever happens, I think an NFC team wins it as most of the "experts" are saying AFC.

And they're saying the Cows? Why? Their #2 ranked D last year was completely lit up by the Vikings. Favre beat on the Cows like a red-headed stepchild and Romo spent more time on his back than a Tijuana prostitute.
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porky88
14 years ago
I think there are four elite teams in the NFC right now. Minnesota, Green Bay, Dallas, and New Orleans. I'm not so sure that Minnesota and Green Bay aren't the best.

I get New Orleans is the defending champs, but they weren't the better team even last year than Minnesota and it's tough to repeat.

Of those four, Dallas struggles to handle expectations. Every year, there the best team in the Summer and then every year they struggle to live up to those expectations. The fact that the Super Bowl is in Dallas only heightens those expectations.

You also have to take into account that there is probably going to be one team that comes out of no where in the NFC. I think it's the Falcons, but the 49ers intrigue me as well.

My point is that the Packers are in it. They are one of the legit Super Bowl threats in the NFC.
zombieslayer
14 years ago
The 49ers are the obvious Cinderella team. They could shock everyone with how far they'd go. Nobody's expecting much from them, but I'm pretty sure they'll make the Playoffs.

MN is a better team than the Saints. The Saints play to win by any means though, and that's how they won the SB last year. That's also how they beat the Vikings last year.

The Cows don't have the heart to win it all. I don't care what kind of stats they rack up. Heart is real. Last year's Saints and the '07 Giants are the immediate examples.

I agree that the NFC has four elite teams and those four you named are it although the Cows most likely won't even make the Championship Game. They'll fold.
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2010 will be seen as the beginning of the new Packers dynasty. 🇹🇹 🇲🇲 🇦🇷
Greg C.
14 years ago

And they're saying the Cows? Why? Their #2 ranked D last year was completely lit up by the Vikings. Favre beat on the Cows like a red-headed stepchild and Romo spent more time on his back than a Tijuana prostitute.

"zombieslayer" wrote:



The same thing happened to Rodgers and the Pack against the Vikings last year, and it happened twice. And the Cowboys went farther in the playoffs than the Packers did. Both are good young teams. If the Packers have a shot at the Super Bowl, so do the Cowboys.
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Dexter_Sinister
14 years ago
I am going to have to disagree on the Vikings.

If I look at the schedule and who they beat by how much and when, I see a pattern develope. They played 3 team that had inconsistant years, Giants, Bengals and Packers. The Pack struggled early and played better late. The Bengals and Giants played pretty good early and fell apart late. The Vikings were lucky in the timing of the schedule to get all 4 of those games in the struggling part and not in the decent part. On top of that, there was only 1 other team with a solid winning record on their schedule, AZ. MN got their butts handed to them in AZ. The rest of the teams they played were mediocre at best. The Vikings also lost to Chicago, Carolina and Pittsberg who were 9-7 or 8-8. They almost lost to SF and Balt. That leaves thier dominating wins against Seatle, Chicago, Tampa. Cleveland, Detroit X2 and St Louis.

This year all the teams they play are at least as good as 9-7 Chicago and 8-8 Carolina except Detroit, Buffalo and Washington.

In short, easy schedule, lots of wins. Tough schedule and lots of losses.
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zombieslayer
14 years ago

I am going to have to disagree on the Vikings.

If I look at the schedule and who they beat by how much and when, I see a pattern develope. They played 3 team that had inconsistant years, Giants, Bengals and Packers. The Pack struggled early and played better late. The Bengals and Giants played pretty good early and fell apart late. The Vikings were lucky in the timing of the schedule to get all 4 of those games in the struggling part and not in the decent part. On top of that, there was only 1 other team with a solid winning record on their schedule, AZ. MN got their butts handed to them in AZ. The rest of the teams they played were mediocre at best. The Vikings also lost to Chicago, Carolina and Pittsberg who were 9-7 or 8-8. They almost lost to SF and Balt. That leaves thier dominating wins against Seatle, Chicago, Tampa. Cleveland, Detroit X2 and St Louis.

This year all the teams they play are at least as good as 9-7 Chicago and 8-8 Carolina except Detroit, Buffalo and Washington.

In short, easy schedule, lots of wins. Tough schedule and lots of losses.

"Dexter_Sinister" wrote:



Did you watch the playoff game against the Cows? That and the Saints slaughter of the Cards were the two most lopsided Playoff games of '09.

Had the Vikings not self-destructed against the Saints, they would have been in the SB, and I sincerely think the Vikings were better than the Colts. The problem of course is that they're the Vikings and they would have found a way to lose.

Let's not forget just how good the Cows' D was. We had an elite O last year and when we played them, we didn't get a TD until the 4th Q. For the Vikings to score at will against their D and for them to hold Romo without a TD showed they were not an overrated team.
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2010 will be seen as the beginning of the new Packers dynasty. 🇹🇹 🇲🇲 🇦🇷
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