FanHouse Al Harris

Editor's Note: Bruce Ciskie, a lifelong Packers fan, opines about the state of his beloved team.

High expectations greeted the Green Bay Packers in August, as the team arrived at training camp. Practices -- held across the street from Lambeau Field -- were very physical, as the Packers tried to show they wouldn't be bullied around like they were far too often in 2008.

That 6-10 season, we all were told, was a memory. It was a fluke. It wasn't how things would be conducted in Green Bay. Bad tackling, soft defense, poor special teams play, and stupid penalties were going to be a thing of the past.

Or not.

We all know about the drama leading into Monday night's Green Bay-Minnesota game. Yes, much of it is media-driven, but you can't write a storyline like this for Hollywood.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Brett Favre wants to beat the Packers. He might say it's "just another game" or whatever, but you should know better. Similarly, the Packers might say it's just another game, but you know they'd like to get a few shots in and pick Favre off a couple times. For Monday's visitors, however, there is another motivating factor at work.

There were massive changes made on the Green Bay Packers coaching staff after 2008 -- a season in which the team went 6-10, seemingly bottomed out on defense with a generally putrid season, and somehow couldn't score enough points with a highly-rated quarterback and potent offense to make up for all of it.

New coordinator Dom Capers brought promises of change with him, as he installed the 3-4 defense. However, an alarming performance Sunday at home against Cincinnati showed that Capers and his new staff still have a lot of work, as they try to pull the players out of a funk that threatens to ruin yet another football season in Wisconsin.

The Cincinnati Bengals have not played a regular season game at Lambeau Field since 1995. That means wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has never had an opportunity to play a game that counts in Green Bay.

It all changes Sunday, when Ochocinco's Bengals visit the Packers. In advance of that game, Ochocinco took part in a teleconference with Green Bay reporters. The results were predictable, as hilarity ensued.

As noted by the Green Bay Press Gazette, Ochocinco seems to have some interest in trying out a longtime Packer tradition if he finds the end zone.

All that stuff about great quarterbacks slinging it around? Forget it. This is, after all, the oldest of old-school NFL rivalries. It's not usually pretty when the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears get together.

However, it is 2009. You don't win a football game without your quarterback making a big play. That's what eventually happened Sunday night -- Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers broke out of a game-long funk to find Greg Jennings on a game-winning touchdown pass with 1:11 to go, giving the Packers a come-from-behind 21-15 win over Chicago in a rather strange season opener at Lambeau Field.

---

---

Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco started a trend last season: rookie quarterbacks who started from Week One and led their teams to the playoffs.

So the Detroit Lions and New York Jets are trying it this year with Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez. Although if Stafford gets the Lions from 0-16 to the postseason as a rookie, he probably should go directly to Canton.

In any case, Stafford and Sanchez will start Sunday in New Orleans and Houston as the NFL season finally gets under way after what seems like an eternal offseason.

There are other QB story lines the first week (although folks often forget there are 21 other guys on the field).

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Injuries are not an excuse. It's also not permissible to point fingers at guys on the other side of the ball when your team has problems. No one in Green Bay will do this, despite the way things went down last year. The Packers lost eight of their ten games by a combined total of 30 points. Despite this, no one in the locker room pinned the blame on the three-ring circus in training camp, major injuries on defense, or anything else.

GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- Typically, it's the third preseason game when you see starters get the most playing time. Since the Buffalo Bills are playing five games instead of four, they only expect to use their starters into the second quarter at Lambeau FIeld.

The Packers should use their top players for around 20-25 snaps Saturday night at Lambeau Field. That should even out fairly well. When the Bills have the ball, the Packers will face something they aren't used to seeing.

Yes, it's Brett Favre again. You know you can't live without him.

As more rumors circulate, and the vision of Brett Favre wearing purple gets closer and closer to becoming a reality, it stands to reason that current members of the Green Bay Packers will be asked for their thoughts on the matter. It's not likely that you'll hear many words of dissent towards Favre. That's just not the way most athletes speak nowadays. Instead, you can expect to see many guys take the high road, ala Aaron Rodgers, and others showing some love for their former teammate.

The Green Bay Packers have nine starters and 17 total players who can become unrestricted free agents after the 2009 season. One of those is fourth-year wide receiver Greg Jennings. The former second-round pick from Western Michigan is coming off a solid 2008 season, and figures to only get better.

If Jennings is concerned about getting a contract extension done, he's good at hiding it. In fact, he talks like someone who would rather spend time preparing for the season than talking about how underpaid he is.